


Back To The Future

by PinkEasterEggs



Series: Back To The Future [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Imperial Luke Skywalker, Skywalker Family Drama, Skywalker Family Feels, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 98,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22217674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkEasterEggs/pseuds/PinkEasterEggs
Summary: Teenage Princess Leia, heir to Alderaan's throne and her twin, Luke Vader, heir to the Imperial throne, get thrown back in time with the chance to save their parents before it's too late. With the Force finally on their side, they decide to have a little fun whilst they try and save their father's soul.What could go wrong?
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa, Padmé Amidala & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Back To The Future [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1648657
Comments: 236
Kudos: 988





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've wanted to write this story for AGES and i'm so glad i finally did. Because of this my other fic (5+1 things) is on temporary standby mode but i'll find time to complete it at another date.
> 
> Quick facts:
> 
> -Leia and Luke were raised by Obi-Wan until they were 10, when they were split up to Alderaan and Tatooine
> 
> -Vader found Luke and raised him
> 
> -The twins are 12 in this chapter but 15 throughout the rest of the story
> 
> Enjoy :)

**3 years ago**

“Leia!” Bail’s voice echoed through the hall, an edge growing as he eyed the time. He’d sent the girl to get ready almost 2 hours ago, having hoped she would be ready to leave in time. No luck there apparently. “We have to go in 5 minutes!”

Leia heard her adopted father yelling, sighing to herself as she stared into the mirror of the refresher. “I’ll be out in a second,” she replied before turning back to stare at her face. Her skin looked too pale in this light with dark bags beginning to grow under her eyes due to her sleepless nights. Her brown eyes were accentuated through the use of eyeliner and mascara but not even makeup could save the haunted look she sported.

“Princess,” the voice of Leia’s closest handmaid, Winter, was soft as she spoke through the door. “You can’t be late— it will only cause further problems.”

Leia had half a mind to tell her friend that she didn’t even want to go to this stupid event so it wasn’t like she cared about being late, but she held her tongue. “Coming Winter,” she sighed again.

Almost 2 years of being a Princess for a prominent planet in the Galaxy and Leia was still not used to all the etiquette and expectations. She was dressed in a simple white dress, the style popular on Alderaan, with her long, brown hair twisted up into two large buns on either side of her head. She looked like royalty but to Leia, she just looked stupid. It was like dress-up— pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

All she had to do was twist her hair up into an elegant style, throw on an expensive dress and it was like she was a whole new person. The carefree girl who ran through Naboo’s fields as a child was gone, replaced by an Alderaanian Princess.

“There you are, with a minute to spare,” Bail smiled kindly down at the 12 year old, his breath momentarily taken by how alike she looked to her mother in that moment. Leia was the spitting image of Padme with her hair twisted up the way it was. (Bail backtracked for a second: Leia was always the spitting image of her mother no matter how her hair looked).

Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead throwing on her most sickly smile. Having lived with Bail for 2 years now, the man wasn’t completely accustomed to the girl’s sarcastic displays of affection (a fact which Leia abused). A smile to which Obi-Wan would have known was an act of attitude, Bail mistook for being genuine.

“Are you excited?” The man guided Leia towards the door and down to where their speeder was being prepped by the security detail. He was dressed in long-flowing blue robes, a stark contrast to Leia’s outfit.

“Not really,” Leia decided to opt for honesty as they climbed inside. She stared out the window as the speeder flew through Coruscant’s busy traffic lanes. There must be thousands of people in the sky right now, the Princess realised. It was her first time on the Imperial Capital and Leia couldn’t hold back her awe at all the skyscrapers and the busy life flowing around her.

Despite loving Coruscant, Leia hated the real reason for why they were there.

“I know this isn’t how you want to celebrate your birthday but you're older now and expectations are made for you. Attending the Empire Day Celebrations just marks your descent into adulthood and maturity.”

Leia had to bite down hard on her lip in order to stop the retort that sat on her tongue to escape. She was 12, for Force sake. As much as Leia wished she could just jump to adulthood right now, even she knew that turning 12 was hardly the start of her descent into adulthood.

“I know,” she said instead, dread pooling in her stomach as the sight of the Imperial Palace loomed ahead. In all honesty, Leia wished she were anywhere but here right now. Even if it wasn’t her birthday (and it sucked that her date of birth coincided with the founding of the Empire) she knew she would still hate the experience.

Being important public figures, both Leia and Bail were forced to attend the Empire Day Celebrations. All it is is a bunch of Senators and Imperial jackasses making speeches about how secure the Empire is (which it wasn’t since the Rebellion was quickly growing), how wonderful the Empire is (it didn’t take an idiot to know the Empire caused more harm than good) and how lucky everyone was (or how manipulated).

For the past 2 years Leia’s presence was not requested yet turning 12 apparently meant she was worthy of joining in the ‘festivities’. (She wished she were 11 again).

“You may even find you enjoy it,” Bail didn’t sound convinced as the speeder landed safely on the docking bay, with the security helping them out.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Leia mumbled as she followed Bail Organa through the long and slightly intimating halls of the Imperial Palace. She could hardly believe that 2 years ago, on this day, Leia had still been living on Naboo. Her life had been so much simpler when it was just her, Luke and Obi-Wan living in a hillside cabin on their mother’s home world. They’d spent this day swimming in the lake behind their house, baking a cake and curling up in front of the wood fire when the sun began to go down.

All of Leia’s childhood memories were like that. They were all rose-coloured and warm, feeling like a soft blanket whenever she looked back on her life previous to being a Princess.

(She pushed the memory away when she entered the ballroom; the last thing she wanted was to become melancholic in front of the Imperial elite).

Where the Imperial Palace’s halls had been dark and scary, the ballroom was startlingly bright with loud music playing and a diamond chandelier hanging in the centre. Everywhere Leia looked, she could see gold: gold pillars, gold decor and gold statues pressed against the brilliantly painted walls. It took her breath away.

“Not what you expected?” Bail smirked down at the soon to be teenager; because of her upbringing, Leia wasn’t used to such opulent wealth and he enjoyed the look of awe she normally sported.

“It’s . . “ brilliant, she wanted to say. Beautiful, dazzling, stunning.

Horrible.

She shook her head, reminding herself where she was. Leia was standing in the belly of the beast and just because it looked beautiful didn’t mean it really was. All this gold must’ve come from the taxes of the hardworking people who could only dream of ever stepping inside this ballroom.

If you dressed Jabba the Hutt up in a diamond necklace, he wouldn’t cease to be Jabba the Hutt anymore.

Leia was about to voice her disgust when the sudden appearance of someone new made her pause.

“Senator Organa,” a sleazy Imperial looked Bail up and down. He looked like every other Imperial in the room: taut with a serious expression and an air of wealth surrounding him. His hands were clasped behind his back and judging from the grey of his Imperial uniform, Leia knew he was a Grand Moff.

“Tarkin,” Bail bowed his head in greeting. He’d adopted the cold voice Leia knew he used as Senator, talking to a man that Leia knew to be evil. “I hope you are enjoying the festivities?”

“More than i’m sure you will,” Tarkin’s eyes looked hollow as he glared ever so slightly at Bail dressed in his Alderaanian blue robes. His cheeks were sunken in and when Tarkin turned his cold gaze onto Leia, she felt a shiver run down her spine. “And you brought the young Princess too; how charming.”

Leia stood up straighter, meeting the man’s gaze and refusing to look away. It was not hidden that Alderaan had been a key planet in the Republic, with Bail backing democracy even as the Empire was formed. With no evidence of Rebel involvement, the Organa’s had been allowed to continue their rule— but that didn’t mean they were liked in the Imperial Senate.

“I hope you are teaching your daughter the importance about her allegiance to the Empire, Senator.” Tarkin’s comment was full of bite.

“Of course. What other allegiance would she hold?” Leia had to stifle her amusement at Bail’s cool tone. (The truth was that she already had a small role to play in the Rebel Alliance, helping Bail in all she could).

“Exactly,” Tarkin’s eyes darted elsewhere, a small frown growing on his face. “Enjoy the party Senator, Princess.”

Once he was gone, Leia let out a small breath. “What a sleemo.”

“Leia,” Bail admonished. “Don’t use such language.”

 _Oh_ , Leia cringed. She’d forgotten for one second that she was a Princess. Princesses didn’t say such vulgar things. And Princesses from Alderaan wouldn’t even know what a sleemo was.

“Sorry.”

“Perhaps you would like to go socialise with other age mates?” Bail suggested as he grabbed a flute of champagne off of a serving droid’s platter. “It will give you a chance to escape Imperial nobility.”

Scanning the room, she could see a handful of young people around the vast room. They were all clumped in groups, some giggling whilst others stood there with stony looks on their faces. All Leia could see when she looked at them were the intricate and expensive designs of their suits and dresses or the way their hair was perfectly styled no doubt by a professional or experienced droid. They all reeked of money and privilege and Leia (who had never been rich before coming to Alderaan) hated them all for it.

“I think i’ll pass,” she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Bail to hear.

“Leia,” he warned again.

“I don’t see why I have to socialise with them,” she tried not to pout as they moved further into the room.

“It is expected of you.”

It was times like now that Leia wanted to stomp her foot and say _‘yeah, so what?_ ’. She’d never chosen this life. Had she asked to be a Princess? No. She’d been perfectly happy living on Naboo, running through fields and swimming in the lakes; enjoying her childhood. And then it had all been snatched from under her feet.

Leaving her here, in a dress that cost more than her old house and surrounded by people she couldn't stand.

“Senator Organa!” A man dressed in blindingly red robes waltzed over to them. He had blue skin and long tendrils, highlighting that he was a Togrutan. Bail’s smile was genuine as he approached, extending out his hand so they could shake and reunite as old friends.

Leia tuned out of their conversation, her mind wandering as she tried to dispel her anger. The last thing she wanted was for her temper to get the better of her, causing a scene no doubt she and Bail would both regret.

Drifting off, Leia thought of her home— her real home, back on Naboo. She could hear the lake running a few feet away from their home, smell the dewy grass in the morning and feel what it had been like to run barefoot in the garden. Luke had fallen out of the tree that had shielded most of their garden when they’d been 8, spraining his wrist in two places. Obi-Wan had taught them to swim in the shallow end of the lake. At night, they’d always curled up in front of the fire with hot Nubian cocoa and listened to Obi-Wan’s stories.

Looking back now, Leia knew how lucky she’d been. Even if it had just been for 10 short years, she would never regret a moment of it. Everyday, even the bad ones when she and Luke had been fighting, had been full of love and happiness.

 _“I have something very important to discuss with the two of you,”_ Obi-Wan’s voice had sounded pained on what Leia now knew to be their last night on Naboo. _“Something very bad has happened— the Empire has finally taken complete control of Naboo. That means we are no longer safe, do you understand? If they find us, they’ll kill us. We’ve been lucky as it is, managing to survive 10 years here without detection.”_

_“What’s going to happen?” Leia had felt the urge to cry at her guardian of 10 years words. “Are we moving?”_

Obi-Wan had sighed heavily, his eyes looking upon them with sadness. _“Yes, however we can’t stay together anymore. A friend of mine— a close friend of your mother’s— has kindly offered to adopt you Leia; he’s nice, you’ll like him. And Luke, your father’s step-brother has agreed to take you in, too. I hate that it has come to this but we have no other choice. Your safety is more than anything, do you understand?”_

Leia could still hear the echoes of her and Luke's cries when the time had come for them to be separated. They’d kicked and screamed and begged for Obi-Wan to let them stay together. _“Let Luke come to Alderaan please!”_ She’d cried at Bail when the man had taken her aboard his ship, leaving Naboo behind forever.

 _“Your safety is more important than anything,”_ Obi-Wan had kept repeating over and over and over again, like he was trying to drill it into their brains.

(She had not seen nor heard anything from Luke nor Obi-Wan in the past 2 years since their separation).

(With each passing day, piece by piece the little part of her that remained as Leia Skywalker chipped away slowly).

“Leia!” Bail’s voice cut her out of her thoughts. He was staring at her like she’d grown a second head. “Senator Tunne just introduced himself to you.”

The time for living in the past was over, Leia collected herself as she curtsied elegantly. She was a Princess now. “My apologies, Senator. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The Senator smiled in a warm way (Leia could see why Bail clearly liked him). “How are you enjoying your first Empire Day celebration?”

I would rather be anywhere else, Leia thought glumly. An image of Naboo once again popped into her head, sitting at the table as the sun began to fall, a large purple cake sitting right in front of her with two candles placed evenly on either side: one blue, one pink. She could almost see Luke’s wide smile, blonde hair falling into his blue eyes as he whispered the words “on the count of three— one, two—“

And then the memory faded away, replaced by this horror show that was Empire Day.

“It is truly magnificent,” Leia lied.

“Isn’t it just!” The Senator chuckled. “You remind me of my own daughter, she’s around your age— let me just get her.”

With the Senator gone, Leia let out a ragged breath. She was starting to loose her patience and energy with this day and it wasn’t even half-way through yet.

“This is my daughter Shala,” the Senator’s reappearance startled Leia. “This is her first celebration too.”

“Hello,” the girl smiled shyly, her blonde hair twisted up into what Leia was sure was a painful bun. Her blue skin was paler than her father's and judging by the childish features on her face, Leia guessed they were the same age.

“I like your dress.” Leia couldn’t help but say. Where all the other girls (par Leia) had gone for obnoxious looks, Shala was simply dressed in a red dress that touched her ankles with a slight belt wrapped around her waist.

“Thank you,” Shala blushed. “I like your hair.” Leia hated it but she nodded none the less, thanking her.

“How about you and your friend go mingle with the other girls?” Bail looked pointedly at Leia who had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. _Friend_? _They’d literally just met._

“We can get a drink if you want?” Shala spoke nervously, pointing to the fountain where a refreshing drink was being poured.

“A wonderful idea!” Shala’s father boomed and Leia decided anywhere was probably better than standing here.

“This is your first Empire Day celebration, too?” Leia asked as they headed away from Bail and his friend, purposely moving so they avoided any contact with other people their age.

“Yes, my father decided now that i’m 12 I should take more responsibility.” Judging by Shala’s tone, Leia could tell she wasn’t happy with it. She hummed in agreement.

“Give me the run down,” Leia sipped her drink once they reached the fountain. “Do you know any of these kids? Which ones do I avoid?”

“All of them,” Shala sighed, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Most of them go to my school and they are . . . not very nice.” Leia cringed. “You see that girl?” Shala pointed to one of the stony faced girls who was wearing a gold dress with outstanding makeup. “She’s Grand Moff Tarkin’s niece— she’s bullied me for as long as I can remember.”

“I’m sorry,” Leia bit her lip, eyeing the girl beside her sadly.

“Not your fault.”

“You know, the trick is to never let them see it affects you.”

“I’m sure that would just egg her on more.”

“No,” Leia shook her head. “Most of the time bullies just want your reaction. Act like you don’t care, like what she says or does doesn’t bother you and she’ll give up. There’s no satisfaction if you don’t get a response.”

She remembered Obi-Wan telling her that when someone had been mean to her at school one day. Years later and Leia held that advice close to her heart.

Despite her reservations, Leia found herself actually liking Shala. The girl was down-to-earth and her shy demeanour meant she wasn’t overly proud of herself to the point of obnoxiousness. It was a cool fresh of air from what Leia was used to (except for Winter, perhaps).

It was as they were standing by the fountain that Leia felt it, like a cold shiver running up her spine. Darkness. A cold presence that cut right through her core and filled her with despair. The Force around him shifted, bending to his will and Leia felt ill at how much hatred and anger he had surrounding him.

Vader was here. (Which made sense considering he was the Emperor’s Right Hand Man).

Ever since she’d been a child, Leia had known the truth about her father. Out of the twins, Leia had been the one with the worst temper and quicker to anger. She’d broken many things in a fit of rage. Luke had always jokingly called her a hot-head but Leia knew her temper always worried Obi-Wan.

Telling Luke and Leia about their father’s fall to darkness hadn’t just been about remaining honest to the children Obi-Wan was raising but instead, he turned Anakin Skywalker’s story into a cautionary tale.

For Leia knew that Obi-Wan would’ve never recovered if either twin succumbed to the Dark Side the way their father had.

As Leia watched Vader across the hall, his long black cape trailing behind him and his helmet fixed upon his head like the menacing figure he was, she realised that this was the closest she’d ever been to her birth father. He hadn’t been there for her birth nor had she ever run into him as her time as Princess. He was just a stranger to her yet his blood ran through her veins.

She wasn’t sure if she was meant to fear him or not. Anakin Skywalker was a man that Leia wished she’d known but he was long dead, replaced by the walking monster her father now was. Vader was a killing machine, a monster with no remorse and a far cry from the man he used to be.

Would he recognise her if he saw her? Would he see her mother staring back at him, her features slightly harder due to Skywalker influence and filled with youth? Would he look into her eyes and see the same fire he used to share? See the way her smile was identical to how his had been or how she was a replica of her mother when she frowned?

Leia wasn’t sure but she didn’t want to find out.

“Oh no!” Shala’s voice startled Leia so much she almost spilt her drink. “Hide me!”

“What?” Leia moved her eyes from Vader to the cringing girl beside her. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s here! I knew he would be but oh stars! Why did I have to wear this dress? I should’ve picked something cuter!”

“Your dress is nice,” Leia frowned. “What are you even talking about?”

“He’s here!”

“Who?”

Shala pointed to a boy standing a few feet away from them, his back was turned so all they could see was a head full of blonde hair. He was talking to Tarkin’s niece— Leia already didn’t like him.

A wry smile slid across her face. “Is that your boyfriend?”

“I wish,” Shala blushed, her blue cheeks going purple. “I’m pretty sure Tamara has her eyes on him so I wouldn’t stand a chance!”

“Tamara?”

“Tarkin’s niece,” Shala swallowed heavily. _Yeah_ , Leia decided, _I really don’t like him then_. Any boy who would fall for a Tarkin must honesty be a nerfherder.

“How long have you liked him?” Leia took another sip of her drink.

Shala’s blush deepened. “A year and a half— ever since he joined my school.”

“Wow, that’s a long time.”

“I’m pathetic,” Shala sighed. “I know.”

“No, no,” Leia shook her head. “I didn’t mean it that way. Have you ever spoken to him?”

“Once,” the teen admitted. “We bumped into each other in the corridors— all my books went flying! He helped pick them all up and he gave me the cutest smile and apologised, even though it was all my fault!”

“He sounds nice,” Leia smiled back at her friend. “Maybe you should go up to him now?”

Shala looked like she was about to puke. “What? I can’t do that!”

“He sounds like a nice person; you could introduce yourself by reminding him of how you met. I’m sure he’d probably laugh if you made it into a joke. Bump into him— pretend to only just recognise him and then say something like: ‘well at least i’m not carrying any books this time!’.”

“You overestimate me.”

“I think you _underestimate_ yourself.”

Shala bit her lip. “Even if I wanted to do that, he’s over there with Tamara. I’m pretty sure she’d kill me if I spoke to him.”

“He isn’t her property,” Leia frowned.

“He is to Tamara.”

Leia rolled her eyes. “How do you know if he even likes her back?”

“Tamara gets what Tamara wants,” Shala sounded sad. “She’s the Queen of school and Tarkin’s niece— it would make sense that she would date Lord Vader’s son.”

It was like ice was poured down her back, her eyes widening just a fraction as the urge to be sick rose up to her chest. What did Shala just say? Vader’s . . . son? No, that was impossible. There was only one person in the Galaxy who could be Vader’s son and he was currently on Tattooine.

Leia once again turned her attention to the boy Shala liked, properly watching him this time as she took in his every move. His back was still turned, his head full of blonde hair slightly scruffy at the back. He wasn’t tall by any means and his posture was terrible (Leia noticed these things after her etiquette lessons). She tried telling herself it was impossible— there were a trillion short boys with blonde hair in the Galaxy, it just simply couldn’t be him . . .

But something in Leia just told her that it was. The part of her mind where Luke's bond lived, sparked like a match being lit. After 2 years of silence that threatened to swallow her whole, a faint whisper of Luke's mind once again slotted back into place.

Leia swallowed heavily, doing everything to make her voice not wobble. “Shala . . . what is the boy’s name?”

Her new friend didn’t notice her uneasiness. “Luke Vader.” So, he’d changed his name just like she had. Gone were the Skywalker twins, replaced by the Princess of Alderaan and an Imperial Prince. How times had changed.

Despite the circumstances, Leia allowed herself to be happy. Her brother was once again near her, just within reach after 2 years of missing him. It had been like a part of her soul had been split from her the day they left Naboo, the connection she’d shared with him ripping down the middle as they’d gone their separate ways.

 _Luke_ , she wanted to whisper through their Force connection like they had as kids. But with Vader so close, Leia didn’t dare attempt using the Force. (That was a one way ticket to death, surely).

Should she go over and say hi? For the first time in a long time, Leia was at a loss. Luke was her brother, yes, but here he was just a stranger. She couldn’t bound over to him and hug him like her life depended on it (although that was all she wanted to do).

“Do you have a Holo-pen?” Leia suddenly turned to Shala, interrupting her spiel on how horrible Tamara Tarkin was and how she never had a chance with Luke in the first place (ew).

“Uh, what?” The girl paused but Leia was already rounding on a passing droid.

“Do you have a Holo-pen?”

“Ah the young finding the necessities for technology of the past,” the droid produced an old Holo-pen, holding it out for Leia to take. She just shook her head at the droids weird words before quickly grabbing a napkin and writing her message down in block letters.

“Leia, what are you doing?” Shala frowned, trying to read whatever Leia had written down.

“Sorry,” Leia was far too focused on what she was about to do next to give the girl a proper apology. “I need the refresher, bye!” It was a shame really, Leia supposed. Shala seemed like a nice person.

On her way to the refresher, Leia paused by another droid. She handed over the napkin, pointing in the direction she’d just come where Luke stood with his friends. “Give this to the blonde boy, will you?”

“Certainly, m’lady,” the droid rolled off in the direction of her brother.

 _Hurry Luke;_ Leia bit her lip as she squeezed through the Imperial crowd to the corridor beside the refresher. She was getting agitated now, something like anxiety grappling at her as she waited for the long-awaited reunion with her brother. 2 years seemed like such a long time when it was spent missing someone with all your heart.

Leia wasn’t sure how long she waited for but with each passing second, dismay grew and grew. He wasn’t coming. Did he get her note? Did he just brush it off? Maybe she should’ve signed her name at the end so he knew it wasn’t some creepy girl truing to get him alone by the refreshers.

She was just about to leave, the idea of storming into the party and dragging Luke by his ear to this spot crossing her mind, when the sound of footsteps got louder and louder.

“Uh hello?” Luke’s all too familiar voice echoed through the corridor. “Who’s there? You gave me a note to meet you here? Please don’t kill me.”

Tears grew in Leia’s eyes, a happiness she hadn’t felt in a long time once again stirring in her chest. “Luke,” she whispered, stepping out from the shadow she’d been hiding in.

Her brother paused, his skin paling as he made eye contact with Leia for the first time in 2 years. They both looked significantly older: the slight chubbiness of Luke’s cheeks were gone and he’d, by now, grown into his nose. His hair was slightly darker too, having gone from sunshine blonde to the same dirty shade Anakin had sported.

“Leia— why . . .”

“Empire Day Celebrations,” she shrugged, blinking away the tears so she could see her brother better. Standing closer to him now, she could tell he was taller than her. They’d always been an even height as kids but it seemed, despite them both still being on the smaller side, he’d grown a little more than she had. “Bail and I are forced to attend.”

Something went slightly dark in Luke’s eyes at the mention of Bail. She wondered if it was like a slap to the face to remind Luke of the man who’d taken her from him. It was not lost on the both of them how unfair it was that Leia had been adopted by a Senator and a Queen whilst Luke had been shipped off to a backwater planet.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Luke seemed to be at a loss of words. “After all this time . . .”

“I’ve missed you so much,” she bit her lip, feeling the tears run down her cheeks as they finally broke free. “It felt like—“

“A part of you was missing,” Luke cut her off. “Yeah I know.”

Leia didn’t hesitate after that as she raced forward, throwing herself into Luke’s embrace and holding him like she was afraid someone would come and rip them apart again. She felt like the jigsaw that was her heart had finally been put together with its missing piece.

Luke sniffled against her shoulder, his arms tightening around her as Leia squeezed back just as tight. She could feel their Force connection strengthen once again, their bond stitching itself back together as the twins refused to let one another go.

 _‘You’re living with Vader_ ’, Leia sent through the link, her words echoing around Luke’s mind as if she’d never left. It wasn’t a question— they both knew she knew.

‘ _Yeah_ ’, Luke sent back, his voice sounding warm and . . . like home, Leia realised. Naboo had never been her home. The house by the lake with the tall tree hanging over the garden had never been her home.

Luke was.

Obi-Wan was.

But then they’d both left her and she’d been alone the past 2 years.

‘ _How_?’

‘ _He found me on Tatooine_ ’, Luke admitted. ‘ _I’ve been living with him for a year and a half now_.’

_‘He hasn’t hurt you?’_

_‘Our father is many things, Leia, but he’s not a child abuser._ ’ Luke sounded offended at the thought.

‘ _Oh forgive me,_ ’ she mentally rolled her eyes. ‘ _That’s right, he’s a murderer and a torturer but of course he isn’t a child abuser too! How silly of me.’_

Luke pulled out of the hug, his eyes serious as he held onto his twin’s shoulder. “There’s good in him,” her brother spoke with his heart. “He’s not perfect— far from it— but he takes care of me and i’m safe with him.”

Leia nodded. All she could do was trust Luke’s words.

“You aren’t being trained as a Sith?”

Luke smirked, letting out the playful laugh Leia didn’t know she needed to hear until she did. “Nope. Father doesn’t even know that Obi-Wan trained us with the basics as children; he thinks i’ve never used the Force before in my life. Actually,” Luke paused, throwing Leia a playful grin. “He doesn’t know about Obi-Wan at all.”

“He doesn’t know you were raised by a Jedi?”

“Probably for the best,” Luke admitted. “He thinks I lived all my life with Owen and Beru on Tatooine. He knows nothing of Naboo or Obi-Wan . . . or you.”

“Good,” Leia nodded. She squeezed her brother’s hand. “That’s just ours.”

Luke nodded, smiling again. “I can’t believe you’re here. Happy birthday, little sister.”

Leia groaned, feeling the familiar itch of annoyance that only Luke could create. “2 minutes does not count!”

“What, like the two inches of height I have over you doesn’t count either? Ow!” Luke rubbed his arm where his sister had punched him. “That hurt!”

“It was meant to,” she teased. “Happy birthday, Luke.”

After 2 years, Leia felt whole.


	2. A Simple Break In

**3 years later; present day**

The Chronometer by Leia’s bed read that it was currently 23:04. They’d gotten back from the Empire Day Celebrations a little under an hour ago with Bail having gone straight to bed. As Leia strained her ears, she could just about hear the sound of snores coming from a few rooms away.

 _Perfect_ , she thought as she climbed out of bed. Throwing on a black tunic and matching pants, Leia reached for her heavy cloak before she tiptoed out of her room. It was dark inside Bail’s Coruscant apartment, all the lights were off and Leia had to get help from the Force to guide her to the elevator without tripping over any of the furniture. The last thing she wanted or needed was to get caught _before_ her plan could commence. If she got caught afterwards then at least Leia got to have a few hours of freedom before her never-ending punishment commenced.

It was hard to sneak around the guards that Bail hired whenever they visited Coruscant (as if men holding blasters would be much help if Vader or the Emperor discovered who Leia was and decided to attack), but Leia was far more capable than she looked. It took a little Force manipulation, something she knew Obi-Wan would've frowned upon, and Leia was able to sneak past the guards completely undetected. As soon as she was out of sight and ear-shot, she broke into a sprint. No one even batted an eyelid as to why a young girl was running through Coruscant's air pathways at such a late hour.

Although Coruscant had nothing on Alderaan or Naboo for beautiful landscapes, Leia had warmed to the planet over the years. No matter the time, Coruscant was alive. Speeders whizzed around in the sky at high speeds and the lights of buildings shone so bright that it hurt to look at them for too long. With every path Leia took, she spotted a thousand different species of people all dressed in their own culture's styles, walking with all the confidence they had.

It didn't take long for Leia to reach the large Mall complex that had become the designated spot for the twins' rendezvous. The time on her wrist chronometer read that it was 23:24, meaning Luke shouldn't be too long soon. The smell of food wafting from inside the Mall made Leia's mouth water and she silently wished her brother would hurry up. Her feet started to tap along with the sounds coming from the Arcade inside the building behind her.

Almost like Luke had heard her silent call, the familiar form of her brother rounded the corner, running at full speed to where Leia stood. His hair was wrangled and his cheeks pink but the smile on his face was one Leia could remember distinctly from her childhood. "Hi!" Luke skidded to a stop only a centimetre from where Leia stood but his sister didn't so much as wince. She'd known he wouldn't crash into her.

“Hey Luke,” Leia smiled back, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at how little he'd prepared in hiding his appearance. Where Leia had her hood pulled over her face to avoid detection, Luke stood there with his dirty blonde locks on show and face open for all to see. “Did you manage to sneak out fine?”

“Father left straight after the Celebrations to sort out some mess on Ryloth or something. What about Bail?”

“Fast asleep,” Leia turned on her heel, entering inside the Mall so she could find whatever restaurant was serving what smelt so delicious. Her stomach rumbled loudly, pushing her to increase her steps and order some of the food that was teasing her nostrils. “He probably won’t wake up till early morning, at least.”

“Father’s gone for a few days,” Luke followed his sister’s lead as they stepped onto an escalator. “So timing is fine with me. As long as I'm back before school tomorrow, no one should really know.”

Leia wished it didn't have to be this way. She wished they didn't have to count the hours and minutes they had to share before parting ways but she knew it couldn't be avoided. It was a miracle they were able to sneak out when they could. She feared the day Bail caught her either coming or going in the apartment and put a stop to their secret rendezvous.

“I saw you during the speeches today,” Leia recalled the moment, trying to bring her mind out of melancholy. She'd been in Bail's hub, as usual, and had managed to spot both Vader and Luke standing in the empty doorway a few hub's over. “You looked so bored.”

Luke rolled his eyes as they sat down in a booth of one of the Mall’s restaurants. He picked up a menu, scanning the contents even though Leia knew he would just order a burger anyway. “Politics is so boring, that’s why.”

“Everything they say is lies,” Leia thought back to the Emperor's long and falsely empowering speech. “Security and peace . . . they’re describing the Old Republic— something they threw away!”

“Let’s calm it,” Luke chuckled at how passionate she got. “I know you’re a Senator in training but unless you can’t tell, I don’t care enough for politics to go into this with you.”

“You just know you can’t beat me in a fight,” Leia stuck out her tongue.

“In a verbal fight, no,” her brother admitted, shaking his head. “In a physical fight . . . nah, probably not.”

“What can I get you two?” The waiter droid rolled over, pen and paper ready to write in its hand.

“I’ll have a burger and fries, please,” Luke didn’t skip a beat.

“Green lasagne, please,” Leia handed over their menus as the droid rolled off to relay their orders.

Luke pulled a face. “A green lasagne, yuck!”

“What?” Leia rolled her eyes at his antics. “It’s healthy!”

“The Leia I remember used to eat dozen of burgers and finish off my fries!”

“Yeah, when I was 10!” Leia rolled her eyes.

Much had changed in the 5 years since they’d been separated. At 15, the twins looked far more like adults than they did the children who’d left Naboo in a hurry. Luke’s blonde hair was a proper dirty blonde shade, cut slightly too short but still suiting him. His features were more chiseled out, his chin sharper and all the baby fat he’d possessed gone. The only thing Leia knew would never change were his piercing blue eyes.

Leia, too, had changed. Her skin was still just as pale as normal, her hair colour the same shade it had always been but where her eyes had once looked haunted, she now looked serene. Her jaw was more defined now and her nose no longer stuck out in an awkward adolescent angle. Everyday she looked more and more like her mother whilst Luke grew to be a clone of Anakin.

It was now the 3rd Empire Day that the twins had spent together, sneaking out of their respective homes as soon as possible so they could eat in the Mall and celebrate their birthday together. It wasn't the same as the birthdays of their past when Obi-Wan baked a large cake for the twins to share but they'd take anything over nothing. 

But no matter how happy they both were to act like themselves again, if only for a few hours, it still broke their heart when the next day came. The sun would rise on Coruscant and Leia would be forced to go back to Alderaan whilst Luke returned to the Imperial Palace. The only thing keeping them going to be the thoughts that they could see each other again in a years time.

It seemed like a cruel joke that they only got to spend hours with each other each year, waiting a whole yearly cycle just to say the words “Happy birthday” as they munched on food that wasn’t cake.

“What do you think mom was like?” Leia asked just as their food arrived. It was like an unspoken tradition for the twins to participate in: Leia would ask what Luke thought their mother would be like and her brother would reply with the nicest words possible. Sometimes his guesses would border extreme, with one of his answers of the past having been " _I bet she was fierce and tamed a giant monster with nothing but her own hands and a blaster!"_ Other times his guesses were made in jest (" _I bet she used to eat Naboo pickles straight from the jar_!")

It wasn't something Leia had ever asked Obi-Wan, however; the tradition had only been between her and Luke's imagination.

Today, Luke settled on an answer he knew would please his sister. “I bet she was the nicest woman in the Galaxy,” Luke bit down on his burger, trying to imagine the woman that been Padme Amidala. "I bet everyone she met loved her and she would stop at nothing to help people in need." Despite living with his father, Luke was never encouraged to talk about his mother. Vader had admitted to his son his deep pain on losing Padme Amidala and made it perfectly clear that any and all topics about her were void.

“What do you think she would’ve thought about all this?”

“About what?”

Leia played with her food, no longer hungry. Her stomach flipped as she thought about a woman she'd never known. “This— us. Her children separated, spending mere hours together each year.”

Luke paused, something like dread weighing him down. “Stop torturing yourself with this Leia. We don’t know how she would feel and we never will. You’re just grabbing at straws and it’s making you sad.”

“No, it’s not!”

“Yes it is, Mom always makes you sad. You look in the mirror and all you can see is her. You’ve been this way ever since you’ve been a kid.”

She paused, biting her lip. It was true that with each passing day, Leia resembled Padme Amidala more and more. As a child she'd been giddy to know that she'd taken after her mother more in looks but as Leia had grown, all she'd started to notice was the shadow of her mother on her face. The eyes of a woman long gone stared back at her and Leia was always hit with how much she'd lost.

“I have somewhere I want to show you,” Leia threw her napkin on the table, standing up without hesitation. Her mind was made up now. Impulsiveness bounced through her blood as she glared down at Luke. Every cell in her body was telling her to _go, go, go_. It wasn't in her nature to stop and pause.

“Leia, what?” Luke had his mouth full of food. He looked almost comical with wide eyes and a confused expression as he finished his burger.

“Come on, there’s somewhere I want to go.”

“Is it so important that we can’t finish our food? You haven’t even touched that lasagne disgustingness over there.”

“Luke,” Leia placed her hands on her hips and used the tone he knew all too well. “Let’s go.”

Luke let out an annoyed sigh, throwing the rest of his burger down on the plate as he forked out a few credits to cover their unfinished meals. “Lead the way, Your Highness.”

* * *

“Leia, what the hell are you doing?” Luke hissed, looking over his shoulder as his sister began playing with the wires on a door release. When Leia had demanded Luke follow her, he’d been expecting she take him to some quiet park or perhaps even the Mall arcade. But no, instead she’d forced him to trek half an hour to some tall, apartment building complex that wasn’t too far from the Senate. They’d travelled up the elevator before stepping out at the penthouse where Leia was now trying to break and enter.

“I’ve almost got it,” Leia mumbled, connecting a few wires together which sent the double-doors to slide open with a loud whoosh. “Bingo!”

“This is illegal!” Luke did nothing but watch open-mouthed as his sister walked inside. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Relax Luke,” Leia turned to face her brother, rolling her eyes. “The penthouse of the Old Republic’s Senate Apartment Complex has been deserted for 15 years.”

“It’s still illegal to break in!” Luke hissed again but when his sister shrugged and explored further inside, he groaned before following. He’d barely stepped inside when the lights suddenly switched on. It was old, yes, but it was beautiful.

The veranda was wide and spacious, looking out on Coruscant’s traffic as the speeders flew by. The leather seats were plush and the decor was both exquisite yet modest. As Luke looked around, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge in his gut. Something wasn’t right. The Force was pulling around him, the pressure weighing in his mind.

“Leia!” He called out to his sister, turning around but not seeing her in sight.

“I’m upstairs!” She called back, her voice nothing but a mere mumble. Luke followed her Force presence up the stairs, walking into what he realised was the living area and bedrooms. The carpeted floor was a nice blue and as Luke followed Leia into the Master bedroom, he paused at what he saw.

“Leia?”

Tears ran down Leia’s face as she stood outside the large walk-in wardrobe embedded into the bedroom. Clothes still hung from hangers, the delicate and impressive dresses all barely missing the floor. Shoes were lined up neatly, one for at least every colour and style. Whoever lived here must’ve been really rich, Luke thought.

“Leia, why’re we here?” His voice was soft but the confusion nagging at him was starting to make Luke loose his patience.

“This was our mother’s apartment,” she swallowed heavily, wiping away the tears as Leia stretched out a hand to gently brush her mother’s Senate dresses and cloaks. They were all so beautiful . . . Leia could almost imagine a woman who looked just like her wearing these as she fought for a peaceful end to the war that had orphaned both Luke and herself.

“We shouldn’t be here.”

“Did you not hear me?” Leia shot back, her voice catching for a second. “Our mother lived here. This could’ve been our home.”

Luke stepped forward, tentatively placing a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “But it isn’t. There’s no point dwelling on what could have been. We had a home, remember?”

“But this could’ve been it!” Leia sobbed, tightening a fist in one of her mother’s dresses. It was large and bulky and must’ve been extremely heavy to wear. “I just want to stay here for a little bit,” she sniffed. “I know you always say to move on and focus on the now, not the past, but I need this. Okay?”

“Okay,” Luke nodded. He could see how much this meant to his sister. All her life, their mother had been a missing piece of Leia’s puzzle, the hole she’d left behind always open and acceptable to pain. Where Luke focused on his Father, creating a relationship with the man, Leia had no way of mending the bond she and Padme shared.

Luke watched as his sister pulled the dress off the hanger, feeling like he was invading some kind of mother-daughter moment as Leia climbed onto the bed, pulling the dress over her like blanket.

“I miss you mom,” Leia whispered into the dress, closing her eyes as a few more tears slipped out.

As Luke followed suit, climbing onto the bed next to his sister, he suddenly felt very creeped out by his mother’s apartment. The bed was made and the furniture was preserved; it was like someone had gone out of their way to freeze this apartment in time to make it look as if Padme Amidala still lived here. The apartment was long abandoned but the lingering hope that their mother would walk through those doors hung in the air.

It was a hope Luke knew would never get answered.


	3. Break In Gone Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you never watched the Clone Wars TV show, one of the characters in this chapter is called Daughter. In Clone Wars, she's from a planet called Mortis (a place that represented the Force) and she was a depiction of the Light Side. Her brother, Son, was the depiction of the Dark Side. In the TV show (SPOILERS) Daughter dies, sacrificing her life for her Father but she appears to Leia in sort of a dream in this chapter.

Despite the fact that Luke had fallen asleep on a bed in an apartment he hadn’t wanted to be at, he had to admit that that had been the best sleep of his life. He felt suddenly buzzed, something in his fingers tingling as the blanket of sleep was pulled off of him and he woke up feeling like he could take on the day.

That was until he opened his eyes and realised he was face to barrel with a blaster.

“Who are you and how did you get in here?” The man holding the blaster had short, black hair and an eyepatch over one of his eyes. Luke could do nothing but gulp loudly as he stared up at the man with dread growing in his stomach. Beside him, Leia continued to sleep peacefully but strangely, the dress she’d been holding was gone.

“What are your intentions here?” The man pressed again, his voice hard like he was trying to protect something important. Breaking into the apartment was illegal, Luke knew that but what was so important about a dead Senator’s abandoned penthouse that justified a blaster in Luke’s face.

Even though the threat of death was literally being pushed in his face, Luke couldn’t help but almost laugh. Intentions? They’d been asleep! If this man honestly thought the twins were here for whatever dark reasoning, they’d have to be the Galaxy’s worst criminals to end up sleeping on the job.

“I will not ask again!” The man pressed his blaster closer into Luke’s face.

“Captain Typho!” A woman’s sounded behind the man. She sounded angry as she addressed the man holding the blaster. “Can’t you see that they’re just children? They were asleep, for Force sake! The only threat they pose is the ability to break into apartments that aren’t theirs!”

“I strongly suggest that you wait by the veranda for the Jedi to arrive, m’lady,” Captain Typho didn’t move his eyes away from Luke, like he was expecting the boy to do something stupid. As if he would when there was a blaster a few inches from his head.

Wait, did he just say Jedi?

“And leave you here to bully children,” the woman replied in a tone that rivalled Leia’s own sarcastic attitude. “No thank you.”

“This is one big misunderstanding,” Luke tried to reason. Maybe Leia had been wrong and their mother’s old apartment hadn’t been abandoned for 15 years? Maybe someone new lived here now and that was the cause for why he was being woken in such a terrifying way.

To only make matters worse, Luke could feel his sister start to wake up. She stretched out, oblivious to the chaos around her as she yawned loudly. It was only when Leia slowly blinked away did she spot the man standing before them, blaster pointed at Luke’s head.

 _‘Don’t scream_ ’, Luke begged through the Force.

As always, his sister ignored him.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Leia let out a loud scream, the panic gripping her as she quickly swung a leg out to make the man— Captain Typho— stumble. With his balance lost, Captain Typho’s finger accidentally pulled at the trigger of his blaster, the shot landing just a millimetre from Luke’s head, singeing some of his hair.

Luke let out his own yell, scrambling further back on the bed as the hole where the blaster had gone smoked through the bedsheets. Leia continued to scream as she bounced off the bed, kicking at Captain Typho’s hand so the blaster went flying.

“You maniac!” Leia screamed. “You nerfherder! What were you thinking?”

“He’s probably thinking that you’re breaking and entering, young one,” a familiar voice sounded in the doorway, making Leia pause and ending Luke’s panicked yells.

There, just as they remembered him, stood Obi-Wan Kenobi in all his glory. He was dressed in the tanned Jedi robes the twins had only ever seen in Holos and his hair was neatly slicked back.

“Obi-Wan!” Luke yelled, having recovered from his near death experience. “You’re here!” Both twins shared a look of awe, happiness growing in their hearts at the sight of the man who’d raised them. After 5 years with no contact, Luke and Leia finally felt like their small family had been pieced back together.

Their former guardian frowned, staring at Luke like he’d grown two heads. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”

Leia’s smile dropped from her face, a look of anguish replacing it. Was this a sick joke? Obi-Wan had never been the pranking sort but perhaps he’d had a change of heart in the past 5 years?

“This isn’t funny,” her voice was low as she willed herself to remain strong. Maybe Obi-Wan would break out into a smile any second now and hold out his arms, inviting the twins in for a long-awaited hug.

He didn’t. “No, I agree,” Obi-Wan shook his head, one of his hands hovering over the lightsaber hanging on his belt. “So perhaps we can sort out the fact you clearly broke into this apartment?”

Leia frowned, feeling anger rise up. Was her former guardian— the man who’d been like her uncle, grandfather and father all rolled into one when she’d been a child— going to dismiss their reunion as breezily like that? “It hardly matters,” she spat. “Who cares that we broke into the apartment of a dead Senator? This place has been deserted for 15 years!”

“We didn’t mean to cause trouble,” Luke, ever the peacekeeper, added.

Obi-Wan’s frown rivalled Leia’s own. “This apartment belongs to Senator Amidala, who I can assure you is definitely not dead.”

“15 years . . .” Captain Typho mumbled, his blaster back in his hand now and raised at Leia. “What in all Corellian hells are you talking about?”

Not dead? Leia let out a little gasp, turning to look at Luke still perched on the bed behind her. They shared a look of confusion, pain circling in Leia’s eyes as they took in Obi-Wan’s words. Something wasn’t right. This didn’t add up.

“And how do you know?” Leia swallowed heavily, standing up straighter as she clenched her hands by her sides. She willed all her Princess training into this moment, throwing on her shields so she could try and look composed at a time when she felt like she was breaking.

“Perhaps because i’m standing right here,” the woman from before suddenly appeared beside Obi-Wan, a small frown over her delicate features as she took in the two children who’d broken into her apartment whilst she’d been at the Senate. It had been a shock for Padme to walk into her bedroom and see two teenagers fast asleep on her bed but no matter what Captain Typho said, she knew in her heart that neither of them meant any harm.

“My name is Padme Amidala and I can assure you i’ve never been dead.”

Leia stared into the brown eyes that were identical to her own, a jolt hitting her as she realised for the first time in her life, she was actually looking upon her mother. Her mother who was living and breathing like she hadn’t been buried for 15 years.

She promptly passed out.

* * *

When Leia woke up, she noticed two things: one, she had a brain splitting headache and two, she was no longer in her mother’s apartment. In fact, Leia had no idea where she was. The more she looked around, the more Leia realised that she wasn’t really anywhere (as bizarre as that sounded).

Surrounding her was purely and simply darkness.

“ **Hello, daughter of the Chosen One** ,” a voice echoed around Leia, unmistakably female and gentle. Leia blinked just as a bright figure of a young woman appeared before her. She was unlike anyone Leia had seen before, her entire presence radiating power and mystique.

“Who are you?” Leia took a step back, eyeing the woman before. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to fear this mysterious person.

“ **I am Daughter** ,” the woman replied, her voice soft and calming. Her hair was a light green, cascading down her back like there was a breeze constantly flowing through it; her skin was pale, made even more prominent by the blood red lips she sported. Daughter’s dress was long-flowing and cream, with an intricate design and matching headpiece that sat over her ears similar to how Leia had worn her hair in two buns.

The teenager pulled a face, “Daughter?”

“ **Yes**.”

(That was the stupidest name Leia had ever heard).

“ **My name reflects who I am, child** ,” Daughter didn’t sound angry despite Leia’s hurtful comment. “ **I represent the Light Side of the Force.** ”

“You heard my thoughts?” Only Luke (and occasionally Obi-Wan) had ever read her mind before.

Daughter didn’t reply, instead moving around Leia in a way that the Princess would’ve deemed creepy if she hadn’t been able to sense no type of danger coming from the woman before her.

“What’s going on?” Leia frowned, her mind going blank as she tried to picture how she’d gotten here. Maybe she was dead? Had Captain Typho shot her? The last thing Leia remembered was looking into the face of her dead mother and passing out— which brought her to the terrifying question of how the hell her mother had been standing there before her. Padme Amidala had died shortly after Leia and Luke’s birth, this Leia knew to be true!

“ **You have been entrusted with a severely important mission** ,” Daughter replied. “ **You and your brother**.”

Luke! Leia suddenly looked around her, hoping to see if she’d missed her brother in all the confusion. “Where is he? Where is Luke?”

“ **Do not fear for him,** ” Daughter held her head high as she spoke. “ **He is safe**.”

“What’s this mission that you’re talking about?”

Daughter paused, contemplating the words she was about to say. “ **Correct the wrongs of the past, guide your Father to the Light.** ”

What? Leia almost giggled at the sheer impossibility of what she’d been told. Guide her Father to the Light? It was 15 years too late to save Anakin Skywalker’s soul and Leia was pretty sure there was nothing she could do now. By the time she’d been born, Vader had already left his mark in the Galaxy.

“You’re asking the impossible,” Leia crossed her arms, giving Daughter an annoyed look.

“ **Nothing is impossible with the Force**.”

“This is! How can I save a man who’s already lost.”

“ **Not lost,** ” Daughter shook her head. “ **Not yet. Correct the wrongs of the past**.”

It was like Daughter’s words were the puzzle piece Leia needed to slot everything together. She and Luke had fallen asleep in their mother’s abandoned apartment only to wake up to a security Captain holding a blaster to their face. Obi-Wan had been there but he’d not acknowledged or seemingly recognised either of the twins. And Padme . . . as clear as day Leia had seen her mother alive before her. It was impossible, yes, but it had happened.

The past.

Correct the wrongs of the _past_.

“Time travel,” the words slipped out Leia’s mouth without meaning to, the clarity and confirmation Daughter sent back almost shocking her.

“ **Guide your Father to the Light and save the Galaxy** ,” Daughter bowed her head, looking at Leia with upmost trust.

“How do you know that messing with the past won’t create a worse future?” Leia took a few steps back, her headache growing as she tried to process all of this. What if saving Anakin from the Dark Side didn’t mean Palpatine wouldn’t take another apprentice, perhaps one even more evil and brutal than Vader? What if the Jedi still died? What if it meant Padme died before she could even give birth to the twins?

“ **I am the Light Side of the Force** ,” Daughter seemed to understand Leia’s unease. **“I represent all Good. My brother is the Dark Side of the Force; he represents all bad. I do not hate him for it but all he touches turns corrupt: it is the way of the Dark Side, you see. Your brother will become tainted too.”**

Leia shook her head, refusing to believe it. Not Luke. Not her brother who smiled with such mirth and laughed like no one was watching. The Luke she knew had so much goodness in him, so much kindness and faith, that it seemed impossible for her to even think about the idea of him becoming corrupt.

“Not Luke,” Leia shook her head again. “He’s too good. He wouldn’t—“

Something flashed in her mind, like a memory breaking through the surface except this memory had not come to pass yet. A vision, Leia realised.

_Luke stood before her, his eyes bright yellow and black vein-like lines running down his face. His lightsaber was ignited in his hand, the glow of red making him look far more menacing. Gone was the boy Leia once knew, replaced by the man with the sickening snarl and look of pure hatred in his eyes._

_“Join me, sister,” Luke’s voice even sounded different, his tone far deeper and detached than usual._

_“Luke, this isn’t you!” Leia could hear herself yelling. Desperation laced her voice._

_“I am the most me i’ve ever been!”_

_“You’ve allowed Vader and Palpatine to corrupt you!” Leia could feel her future version’s heart break. “You promised me you wouldn’t!”_

_“The Dark Side has given me far more power than i’ve ever imagined; you would be a fool to pass it up, sister.”_

_“No, you’re the fool Luke. You’ve allowed yourself to become the very thing Obi-Wan tried to protect us from!”_

_She watched as Luke snarled, his sickening yellow eyes glowing as he raised his lightsaber. “If you are not with me, then you’re my enemy.” His voice was a mere growl, reminding Leia of an animal searching for its prey._

_She let out a scream just as she watched her brother lunge forward, lightsaber ready to fight._

“ **Now do you believe me?** ” Daughter’s voice cut Leia back to the present— or whenever the hell they were. She seemed far too calm for someone who’d just shown Leia a future of utter despair and darkness.

“Luke,” bile rose in Leia’s throat as she thought of her brother. Her perfect brother who’d always been the more sensitive and sweet child out of them both. Obi-Wan had feared for Leia to turn to the Dark Side— neither of them would have ever expected Luke.

“ **Your brother will begin his Sith Training at the age of 16** ,” Daughter continued, either oblivious or uncaring to Leia’s emotional trauma. “ **He proves to be a valuable asset to the Dark Side. My brother is very proud of him.”**

“He promised me he wouldn’t become a Sith,” Leia muttered as if it mattered. Did Daughter even care?

“ **He had no choice**.”

Leia tried not to picture Luke starting his Sith lessons, doing all he could to not succumb to the Dark Side. She tried not to think of how Luke must’ve fought the darkness rising up in him or how scared he must’ve been when his anger began to take control.

She curled her hands into fists by her side, facing Daughter with a look of determination. “Saving Father from the Dark Side, that will save Luke?”

Daughter nodded. **“And it will bring balance once again. The path your Father chooses only invites generations of darkness. With the Jedi gone, only Sith rule. Your brother kills your Father before he can complete his prophecy of bringing balance back to the Force**.”

Leia closes her eyes, trying not to imagine her brother killing their Father.

(The thought made her feel physically sick. She hated Vader, sure; he was the monster who had orphaned her and killed her true father, Anakin Skywalker. But there was something so final and cruel in a son murdering his father— it was something Leia knew Luke’s soul couldn’t return from).

“I accept the mission,” Leia nodded. For Luke.

Daughter smiled in an understanding way as she stepped forward, standing before Leia. She raised a pale finger, pressing it against Leia’s forehead. It was cold to the touch and Leia shivered just as her vision went black.

“ **Correct the wrongs of the past.”**

**“Correct the wrongs of the past.”**

**“Correct the wrongs of the past.”**


	4. Mom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of these chapters are pre-written so i might double the updates just because i can :) enjoy :)

When Leia woke up for the second time, she was pleased to find herself back in her mother’s apartment, laying down on the bed. The headache was still there but it was significantly reduced to when she’d been talking to Daughter.

(Had that even happened? _Yes_ , Leia realised, _it really had)_.

“I don’t understand what’s going on!” Luke’s voice sounded from near her, the frustration evident in his tone. “This isn’t happening!”

“I advise you to calm down, young one,” Obi-Wan didn’t sound happy as he argued with Luke.

“Ugh, don’t call me that!” Luke half-yelled, his frustrations leading towards anger. Where Leia had the worst temper, Luke was far more mild and well-mannered. If he got angry then it was just a sign of how frustrated and annoyed he’d become. It took a lot to make him mad. “You know I hate it when you call me that! It’s so patronising.”

“I don’t believe I understand what you mean,” Leia could picture Obi-Wan frowning. He always did the thing where his brows furrowed, his lips pulled down and he crossed his arms when entered into a verbal altercation. “To my knowledge, we’ve never met before.”

Leia could almost see Luke’s cheeks turning red as imaginary steam flew out of his ears. She chose that moment to make her consciousness known.

“What’s going on?” Leia played dumb as she sat up on the bed, her hand flying to her head to rub at a sore spot. Before her stood Obi-Wan and Luke, both paused in their argument, whilst Captain Typho stood protectively over their mother in the doorway.

“You passed out,” Luke stepped forward, his eyes full of worry. “You hit your head. Are you okay?”

Leia was far from okay but she nodded nonetheless. “It’s just a small bruise, i’m fine.”

Luke nodded, seemingly happy with her comment. As soon as he was sure Leia was fine, he turned back to Obi-Wan. “Can you cut the poodoo please?”

“Excuse me?”

“Just admit you know us,” Luke was practically seething as he glared at his old guardian. He loved Obi-Wan dearly but there were times that the man could push his buttons to no end. It made no sense to Luke as to why Obi-Wan, a man who’d raised him from infantry, was pretending he didn’t know who Luke was.

“I apologise Master Jedi,” Leia pulled herself up off the bed, ignoring how the bruise on her head ached. “My brother has an overactive imagination: he’s a big fan of yours and I guess a defence mechanism for him has been to pretend the Great Obi-Wan Kenobi was like a friend to him. He gets carried away sometimes; he truly means no harm.”

Luke opened his mouth to protest but Leia pinched his arm, causing him to clamp his mouth shut and take a step back.

“And I apologise to you, too, Senator,” Leia carried on, looking over at her mother in the doorway. She felt a familiar ache as she stared into her brown eyes but Leia momentarily shook that pain away. “We were so cold and tired; we didn’t mean any harm to break into your apartment. All we needed was a place to sleep.”

Given that Leia and Luke were both dressed in plain black clothes rather than their usual intricate outfits belonging a Princess and Imperial, it wasn’t hard to imagine they could possibly be street-children.

“That’s horrible,” Padme placed a hand over her heart as she felt for the children before her. She couldn’t even imagine a life where she didn’t even have a bed to sleep in at night. With the War going on, Padme understood such situations were becoming far more regular. It broke her heart every time she heard another story like the one Leia had just told.

“We’ll be going on our way,” Leia nudged Luke, plastering on a kicked puppy look. Obi-Wan had always said Leia was the master manipulator out of her and her brother and she could understand why now. Lying almost came too easily to her. “I’m sorry for the trouble we caused.”

“Nonsense,” Padme shook her head, “you’ll stay here— at least for lunch. You must be starving.”

With almost perfect timing, Luke’s stomach growled.

“M’lady, they should be arrested for their crimes!” Captain Typho looked bewildered at the Senator. “I cannot allow you to cook for them!”

“Arrested?” Padme looked like she’d been slapped. “They are just children in need of a bed, Captain, they’re hardly criminals. I won't be pressing charges! And I won’t be cooking: Threepio will be.”

“M’lady,” Captain Typho sounded like he was doing his best to remain calm. “They could be dangerous.”

“Master Kenobi, do you sense any danger from these two?” Padme rounded on her friend. “Any malicious intent?”

Leia raised up her shields, feeling Luke do the same. She exerted goodness, trying to convince Obi-Wan’s probing force abilities that she wasn’t going to cause harm.

“No, Senator,” Obi-Wan gave in when he could feel no danger. “But I agree with Captain Typho—“

“And this is my home,” Luke and Leia’s mother sounded like she was near the end of her patience. “And they’re my guests. I ask you to leave us be.”

“M’lady—“

“Leave us Captain!”

 _She’s a badass_ , Leia realised as the grumpy security Captain turned on his heel and left. Obi-Wan hesitated but when Padme sent him a glare, he sighed and retreated too.

“I’m glad we could dissolve this situation,” he bowed his head at the Senator as he left, no doubt going back to report to the Council on what had occurred.

“My apologies for all that,” their mother actually looked embarrassed when it was just them left. “I’m afraid when I first found you in here, fast asleep, I panicked and called my security before I could think twice.”

“It’s okay,” Leia smiled. Nothing Padme could do would ever be terrible in her eyes. “We understand— it is our fault anyway.”

Padme brushed the words away, moving out of the doorway and to the living area outside her room. The plush, blue sofas the twins had passed last night were still there, although they looked far newer than they remembered. “Please take a seat,” their mother nodded to the sofas as she pressed a button on the wall. “Would you like something to drink? Tea perhaps?”

Leia was about to ask for just water when she realised that for the first time in 5 years, she would be able to order a Nubian drink. Nubian tea had been Leia’s favourite beverage as a child but no other planet par her home world served it. She had a funny feeling that if anyone were to stock the drink, the Senator of Naboo would be that person.

“Nubian tea, please,” she nodded.

“I’ll have the same,” Luke cleared his throat.

‘ _Leia, what the hell is going on?_ ’ Luke sent the words to his sister through their bond, his confusion and frustration clear in his tone. ‘ _Why did you say all those things to Obi-Wan and why are you so calm right now?’_

_‘It’s a long story but you’re going to laugh at me.’_

_‘Try me’._

_‘We’ve time travelled.’_

Luke let out a snort, a smile growing on his face before he realised what he’d done. Padme looked at him like he were crazy but Luke just cleared his throat, shaking his head. “I remembered something funny, sorry.”

 _‘Told you_ ,’ Leia laughed at him through their bond.

‘ _Are you going crazy, Leia? Do you need professional help?’_

Leia watched as a serving droid appeared with Padme relaying the twin’s drinks orders with her own.

‘ _Can you explain this in any other way? Our mother is standing before us, alive and well. Obi-Wan looks younger and he doesn’t know who we are. This apartment was abandoned when we arrived last night and then suddenly it’s lived in and in use.’_

Luke was at a loss of words, blinking fast as he processed the information. ‘It isn’t possible’.

‘ _It is and it’s happened. I don’t know how_ ’— she ignored the face of Daughter as she flashed in her mind— ‘ _but we’re in the past, Luke_ ’.

‘ _When in the past_?’

Good question, Leia thought. She guessed it was some time during the Clone Wars but if it were at the start or near the end, Leia didn’t know.

“You like Nubian tea,” Padme smiled as she took a place opposite the twins. It wasn’t long before the cups were brought forward by a serving droid, the hot liquid placed in Leia’s hands, reminding her of cold days where she and Luke had huddled in bed with nothing but the drink to keep them warm. “You’re Nubian?”

“We were raised there for most of our life,” Luke nodded, taking a sip of the drink and falling in love once again.

“You don’t now?”

“Our guardian died,” Leia continued to lie. Although she wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not— neither she nor Luke had seen Obi-Wan in 5 years. For all they knew, he could be dead. But that wasn’t a thought either of them liked to think about. “We moved after that.”

Again, not a complete lie.

Padme looked horrified, sympathy growing in her chest. “Who do you live with now?”

“No one,” Luke lied for his sister, doing his best to sound convincing. He was by far the worst liar but Padme was so wrapped up in the horror of it, she didn’t hear the slight wobble his voice.

“Where are your parents?” Padme’s eyes were wide and her heart ached for these two children. She wasn’t sure why she felt the burning need to protect them but as they told their story, the overwhelming need to throw her arms around them and keep them close to her heart was almost too much.

“Dead,” Leia didn’t count that as a lie. Their mother was dead and their true father, Anakin, had died before they’d even been born. Sure, Vader still lived upon the Galaxy but Leia doubted that counted. She definitely didn't see that monster as her father.

“And you’re living on the streets by yourselves?” Padme placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

The twins just shrugged, allowing their mother to reach her own conclusions. “We’re fine, really,” Luke tried to appease her anguish.

“Two children living alone on the streets without any parental supervision is not okay!”

“We aren’t children,” Leia cleared her throat. “We’re 15!”

Padme smiled despite the sadness etched on her face. “You’re still at an awfully young age of your life.”

“Weren’t you a Queen a year younger than us?” Luke sassed, making Leia reach out and punch his leg.

‘ _Don’t be rude to mom_!’

 _‘Come on_ ,’ Luke whined. ‘ _You were thinking it_!’

Despite the slightly rude comment, Padme let out a genuine laugh. Even her laugh is perfect, Leia yearned to hear more of it. Perhaps in a life where she’d been raised by the woman before her, Leia would’ve accustomed this laugh to her childhood happiness.

“You’re right,” their mother nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “I was elected Queen at 14— that doesn’t mean I wasn’t young though. And I still had a bed to sleep in every night with dozens of parental figures surrounding me daily to help guide me.”

“Luke didn’t mean to offend,” Leia sent her brother a glare.

“Luke,” Padme hummed, rolling the name off her tongue. “I like that name. It means Light in Nubian. I’m sorry, I only just realised we’ve never actually been properly introduced. You’re Luke,” their mother nodded at her son before turning her eyes on her daughter. “And you are?”

“Leia,” she held her breath, waiting.

“Leia,” Padme did the same as she’d done for Luke’s name. “A lovely name too.”

Leia wanted to scream; did her mother like her name like she so clearly did Luke’s? Did she too have a Nubian translation for her name?

“I’m Padme,” their mother finished, smiling gently. In another life, that smile would’ve been filled with love, her eyes adoring as she looked upon her children. But now, Padme smiled out of politeness, hardly even knowing her children before her.

“This is delicious,” Leia decided to change the subject. “I haven’t had Nubian tea in so long!”

Padme smiled knowingly, “I always make the effort to keep my stock filled,” she nodded. “It is one of my favourite beverages. I remember when I was a child, my sister and I used to drink Nubian tea by the gallon.”

The twins paused, processing this information. “Sister?” Leia choked out the word. They had an Aunt? They’d always known they’d had grandparents on their mother’s side of the family but whether they were alive or not, neither of them had known (Obi-Wan had always refused to answer). The idea of having an extended family on the Naberrie side hadn’t even crossed the twins heads.

“Yes,” Padme was oblivious to the twins’ shock. “Sola, she lives back home on Naboo with her husband, Darred and two children. I make the effort to visit them occasionally but with the War, it’s been a lot harder.”

They had cousins! Two cousins that neither Luke nor Leia had known about for all 15 years of their life. Were they girls? Boys? A mix like her and Luke? Leia could almost picture all the tea parties they would’ve held or challenging each other on the Holonet games. Maybe in a different life, they would’ve all met up for the holidays, exchanging gifts in one big living room as all the kids ripped open their presents without a care in the world.

For the briefest of moments, Leia felt lonely. Like she’d been robbed the chance of having a big family.

“What are their names?” Luke cleared his throat, eagerly hoping his cousins were boys. Not that he didn’t love Leia but it would’ve been nice if he’d grown up with another boy to play with.

“Pooja and Ryoo,” Padme smiled, thinking about her nieces. “When my sister was pregnant, we spent hours going over baby names— she eventually ended up taking the two names I really liked. Typical,” she rolled her eyes in a good humoured way.

‘ _You could’ve been called Pooja,_ ’ Luke teased through their bond. ‘ _Pooja Skywalker, ha_!’

‘ _Shut up_ ,’ Leia mentally rolled her eyes. She didn’t feel like she suited a Pooja, nor a Ryoo. Leia seemed to fit her just fine.

“You know,” Padme placed down her now-empty cup of tea on the table. “I feel like i’ve met you before, how bizarre is that.”

“We have one of those faces,” Luke shrugged, slurping the last of his drink.

“You just look so familiar to me! Maybe it’s just because you have the same colour eyes as my mother,” Padme directed the comment to Leia. “It must be a Nubian thing.”

All her life, Leia had known she’d looked just like her mother. But now, she realised perhaps she resembled her grandmother or aunt even more? Where Luke had been dominated by Skywalker genes, Leia was a clear Naberrie.

“Must be,” she nodded.

“We should probably be on our way,” Luke spoke suddenly, placing his cup down. “We thank you for everything, Senator.”

“Please call me Padme; and you don’t need to leave in such a hurry, you’re my guests. I invite you to stay the night!”

“We couldn’t impose,” Luke shook his head.

“It isn’t imposing if I invite you,” Padme smiled. “Please, I have more than enough room and I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing you had no where to stay if I let you go.”

“Thank you Padme, that’s very kind of you.”

‘ _Suck up_ ,’ Luke sighed.

“I’ll show you to your room, if you’d like,” their mother stood up, eager to please the kids she thought were homeless. She led them in the opposite direction of where the master bedroom was, opening the door on a large room with twin beds. “Is this alright or would you prefer separate rooms?”

“This is perfect,” Leia stepped into the room, immediately liking the modest design of cream and blue. There wasn’t much decor nor furniture in the room, apart from the twin beds and a wooden desk.

“My handmaidens occasionally stay here which is why it’s rather plain; they normally take their belongings with them.”

“We like it,” Luke nodded, plopping himself down on a bed. “Your hospitality is welcomed.

Padme smiled again. “I’ll leave you two to get comfortable. Dinner will be in a few hours.”

The twins watched as their mother left, listening to the sound of her footsteps walking way before Luke turned on his sister, eyes wide and incredulity lacing his voice.

“What in the name of the Force is going on?!” He looked rather crazy as he loudly whispered at Leia, his hand waving in the direction of the door. “Care to explain??”

“I thought we already discussed this,” Leia sighed, taking a seat on the bed furthest to the door. She’d already decided this would be hers.

“No, no, no,” Luke shook his head wildly, his short, blonde hair moving from side to side. “You are not throwing the words _time travel_ around with such passiveness and expecting me to just shrug my shoulders and accept that!”

“I don’t know what else you want me to do Luke!”

“Freak out a little maybe? Force knows I am! Our mother is dead! I know that like I know we’re twins; it isn’t possible for Padme kriffing Amidala to be here— and for her to not know who we are! Also,” Luke pulled a face. “Obi-Wan? That man has changed my diapers, how can he not recognise my face?!”

“Time-travel, Luke! We’re in the time of the Clone Wars, before we were born.”

Luke started to pace, shaking his head like a crazy person as he mumbled to himself. “Not possible, not possible, not possible! We can’t be 15 years in the past!”

“And why can’t we?” Leia watched him pace, feeling the urge to walk over to him and slap him across the face.

“Did you seriously just ask me why _TIME TRAVEL_ isn’t possible?” He pulled an incredulous expression.

“Anything is possible with the Force,” Leia adopted the omniscient tone Obi-Wan used to whenever he talked about using the Force.

“The Force doesn’t send people back in time!”

“Then how are we here, huh? In our mother’s apartment— where she is alive! Obi-Wan who doesn’t remember us and multiple discussions about the War! And no mention of the Empire or Vader? Come on Luke, you know what i’m saying is true you just don’t want to admit it.”

Her brother paused, looking off into corner of the room for a second before sighing as he lowered himself to the fall. The carpet was soft under him. “What do we do?”

Leia thought of Daughter; her parting words sticking out in her mind like glue. Correct the wrongs of the past. The Empire. Palpatine’s rise to power. Their father’s fall to the Sith. Their mother dying. The Jedi Massacre. Being separated.

The short period of time before Luke and Leia’s birth had been one of chaos and darkness and Leia was determined to never let it happen again.

“We’re going to change the past.”


	5. A Fatherly Complication

Luke listened to Leia’s snores, finding it peaceful hearing the steady rise and fall of her breaths as she slept in the bed next to his. After a brief discussion about where their priorities lay (stopping the Empire and saving their father from darkness), his sister had decided to take a pre-dinner nap. But where Leia had come to accept the fact they were in the past, Luke’s mind was still whirring from the fact.

They were in the past. At a time of full-scale Galactic War. Even though the Rebels in their time-line were growing and the threat of Civil War loomed, it still had not broken out in such a devastating way as the Clone Wars had.

Luke could almost hear his Father in his mind, the respirator sounding much like Leia’s snores. “The Clone Wars was a tragedy for the entire Galaxy, my son,” Vader had preached one afternoon. “It is the Empire’s job to crush the Rebellion so that the same tragedy can not be repeated.”

Despite the fact that he was once again cramped up in a room with his sister (and his long-dead mother was wandering around outside their bedroom door), Luke found himself missing his Sith Lord Father.

Vader, to Luke, was not the same man that everyone feared. He was just simply Luke’s father. Having found him after 6 months of being on Tatooine, it had been almost 4 and a half years since he’d moved in to the Imperial Palace. In that time, much had changed. His Father had gone from the stoic monster he’d initially met to someone who fretted over Luke when he became ill, worried for his safety in times of need and grounded him when Luke stepped out of line.

Sure, there were a thousand problems with their relationship, namely: Vader’s refusal to feel, his constant shroud of anger and hate and his slightly terrifying temper but he’d never hurt Luke. Not once had Luke feared for his life nor had Vader laid a hand on his son. His Father was emotionally challenged, yes, but Luke knew he cared— deep, deep, deep down.

It suddenly hit Luke that if their plan worked and they managed to save the Galaxy from the evil clutches of the Empire and their Father’s dark spiral, it meant Vader would cease to exist. The armoured man in black with loud breathing and a permanent bad mood would be replaced by the good humoured Jedi Obi-Wan had always told Luke about.

Did he want that?

Luke had never known Anakin Skywalker in the way he knew Darth Vader to be a father. Would he like Anakin as a Dad? Was it betraying his Father in the other time-line if he did this and changed the man back to his good self?

His mental struggle was suddenly paused when the sound of voices came from out the living area once more. Luke crawled off the bed, pressing the door release so he could hear what was being said better. Given that the bedroom was down the corridor, his eavesdropping was unnoticed.

“Anakin please, calm down,” Padme was talking in a hushed voice but her annoyance and exasperaetdness was raising her tone. “I’m fine: see!”

“How come I had to hear from Obi-Wan that 2 low-lifes managed to break in to your apartment, huh? I’m your husband, Padme!” The sound of a man’s voice was far louder than Padme, his tone angry and something in Luke stirred. He’d never heard his Father’s voice without the mask but he sort of liked it. Anakin, despite his anger, sounded far softer than Vader’s intimidating deep voice.

“When exactly was I meant to tell you, Anakin? I haven’t had time to make such a call! And would you mind keeping your voice down, I don’t want them to walk in on this argument.”

“They’re still here?” Luke’s father sounded incredulous as he no doubt gave Padme the same look Luke had given Leia not too long ago. “Why in the name of the Force are they still here?”

“They’re my guests,” Padme’s voice was laced with stubbornness.

“They broke into your home— our home! They could’ve killed you!”

“They were passed out on my bed when I returned home, that’s hardly threatening Ani.”

“Why are you being so reckless?”

“Why are you being so argumentative?” Padme shot back. “Obi-Wan sensed no danger from the children. Stars, they can’t even be older than 16! They’re just kids Ani; poor kids who have no-where to go.”

“I’m sure Republic Child Services will welcome them in,” Luke could picture his Father clenching his hands by his sides like he did when his son got into trouble. Even though the mask changed Anakin’s voice, the dryness of his tone remained the same.

“I’m not pushing them off into the system Ani,” Padme sounded hurt at the thought.

“Then what are you expecting, Angel?” Anakin sighed. Luke creeped out of the bedroom doorway, moving further down the hall so he could peer over the side and view them together. Padme’s back was to him, her figure wrapped in Anakin’s arms as he looked down at her with a slight frown.

As Luke looked at the flesh face of his Father, he realised that he'd half been expecting to see the mask and black armour. It was a strange experience to look at a man he knew to be his Dad but also see the face of a stranger he'd only ever seen in pictures. All his life Luke had known he'd taken the majority of the Skywalker genes; from his hair to his chin, his entire face screamed Skywalker. But there was a harshness to Anakin's face that Luke was able to spot when up closer, his jaw was more defined and there was a scar across his right eye.

In a different life, the flesh face of Anakin Skywalker would be what Luke thought of when he heard the word Dad, not a Sith Lord mechanic monster.

“Are you planning on taking in these children?” Anakin’s frown deepened. “Because as a married couple I believe i’m entitled to an opinion on this.”

“I’m not going to adopt them Ani,” Padme chuckled softly, reaching up and brushing her thumb across her husband’s face gently.

“Then what are you going to do? Because if you don’t let RCS take them in, that’s the only other option— apart from releasing them back to the streets of course.”

“They aren’t wild animals!”

“And they aren’t your children,” Luke’s Father sounded tense; so much so that Padme took a step back from his embrace.

Luke couldn’t see her face but he knew she was hurt when she replied, “I know that.”

“Really? Because it almost sounds like you’re taking in these kids to help fill some fantasy family you desire. They aren’t yours.”

“Maybe you should leave,” Padme sounded slightly broken as she turned away. “That isn’t what’s happening here. I feel a connection to these kids; maybe because they’re Nubian like me or maybe because they’re just two children in need of help. I don’t know.”

Anakin sighed, running a hand over his face as he paused. He reminded Luke a lot of Leia when she tried to retreat from a comment she'd made in the heat of an argument. “I’m sorry, what I said was cruel. I just don’t want you rushing into anything and forming an attachment, Padme.”

“So what if i do?” Padme took another step back.

“You can’t keep them!” Anakin hissed, the frustration from before returning.

“And why not?” Their mother sounded exactly like Leia when she was sick of being patronised. The Naberrie stubbornness was clear in Padme right now. “Are you making some executive decision as my husband?”

“That’s not what I—“

“You can’t control all aspects of my life, Anakin,” Padme’s frown was evident in her voice.

“This is _our_ life!” Their father argued back. “Surely discussions of family is something we should decide together? Anyway, I always assumed that any addition to our family would be the perfect mix of us both.”

His comment made Padme pause. For a second Luke wasn’t sure if she was going to continue the argument or let it go. Padme settle for the latter it seemed. “You see that for us?”

Luke watched as his father stepped forward again, this time receiving no rejection when he pulled Padme into an embrace. “Of course, don’t you?”

Padme brushed a strand of hair out of Anakin’s face. “Yes Ani, I dream almost every night of a little boy who looks just like his father running around.” The moment was so romantic and intense that Luke felt awkward to be eavesdropping. But despite that disgusted feeling he had growing in his stomach at watching his parents act so in love, he couldn’t tear himself away.

His mother had dreamt of him.

For so long, he’d felt disconnected from Padme, almost. He loved her just as much as Leia but his sister had been the one to yearn for their mother more whilst Luke had focused on the heroic father he’d wanted to grow up like. And then after he met Vader, finally having his father (one half of the parents he’d been denied) it had almost helped heal the pain Luke felt at not having a mother.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t feel touched at the fact she so clearly loved him before he’d even been conceived. It made him feel wanted. Loved.

Anakin chuckled, leaning down to kiss Luke’s mother on the lips for the briefest of moments. It was strange for Luke to see his usually so cold and stoic father act so loving and happy. The feeling of calm that Luke could sense through the Force was not something he'd felt on his father before. “Well, I take that Senator and I raise you this: a little girl with brown hair just like yours who is just as stubborn as her mother.”

Luke wondered if when Vader had found his son on Tatooine, he’d been disappointed to discover the child his wife had birthed had been a boy and not his clearly-wanted daughter.

Padme was about to say something more when Anakin’s eyes flickered up to where Luke was hiding, his eyes widening for a fraction at the fact they’d been spotted before he took a step back from the Senator. Following his line of sight, Padme turned around, spotting Luke also.

She looked flustered as she forced on a smile, straightening out her robes. “Luke! I didn’t know you were there!”

“I wanted a drink,” he lied, trying in vain to stop the redness crawling up to his cheeks. His Father had always said he was terrible at being sneaky.

“I’ll get Threepio to bring you one immediately!” Padme cleared her throat, turning slightly to Anakin. “This is my friend, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Master Skywalker this is Luke, my guest.”

“Uh, nice to meet you,” Luke stepped out from his hiding spot and walking closer to his Father. Even as a Jedi, his Father had a good few inches of height on him. (Luke had always hoped the height came from the suit).

“And you— I hear you gave Senator Amidala a scare this morning,” the displeasure was clear in his voice. For a second, Luke thought he was about to be grounded for breaking one of his father's many rules. It took him another second to remember that his father had no idea who Luke was.

“Yeah,” Luke scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward. “Whoops.”

“Whoops?” Anakin frowned, taking the half-assed apology with little grace. He looked so much like Leia in the way his head was tilted and his eyes narrowed like he was trying to look past Luke's facade.

“Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes Luke,” Padme tried to change the subject. “Will Leia be up in time?”

Luke shrugged. “I’ll kick her if she’s not.”

“Be nice,” something maternal grew in Padme’s stomach. For a second she sounded like her mother. She shook her head quickly, trying to push away the thought.

“Are you staying for dinner Master Skywalker?” Luke let his last name roll of his tongue, feeling sad that he no longer went by it. After 4 and a half years of being known as Luke Vader, he suddenly wished he’d fought his father in keeping the name that he’d been given since birth.

“I have Jedi business to attend to—“

“Are you sure? Can I not tempt you to a . . . friendly dinner,” he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing at the expressions on his parents faces. “With your . . . _friend_ Senator Amidala?”

Anakin cleared his throat. “I promised Ahsoka we would go to Dex’s—“

“She’s more than welcome here,” Padme plastered on a smile. “A big dinner surrounded by friends would be a nice introduction for Luke and his sister.”

“Maybe Obi-Wan can come too,” Luke rolled on his heels, hating the way his father eyed him with such suspicion. It seemed they weren’t on the best of terms. It was weird to think that without the knowledge of their true relationship, his father could honestly dislike him. “I’m a big fan.”

“Obi-Wan is briefing the Council,” Anakin spoke curtly. “But I will contact Ahsoka now and let her know plans have changed. We thank you for your invitation, Senator.” He bowed ever so slightly before walking off with his comlink in hand.

“Who’s Ahsoka?” Luke asked once his Father was gone.

“Master Skywalker’s Padawan.”

Padawan? Obi-Wan had never told the twins their father had taken an apprentice! Luke wondered she were still alive in his time-line. It was a sobering thought to think that perhaps this Padawan had been killed in the Jedi Purge. Or worse, murdered by his newly-turned Sith Lord father.

“Luke,” Padme cleared her throat, looking embarrassed. “About what you might have witnessed—“

“Don’t worry about it,” he waved a hand with ease. “My lips are sealed. Your secret is safe with me.”

(It better be if he ever wanted to be born).


	6. Bantha Steak and Conversations

“Leia, get up. Seriously you sleemo, wake up. Dinner’s ready.”

Leia stirred to the sound of her brother’s voice, the continuous insults for her to wake up rousing her from the depth of sleep she didn’t even know she’d needed. It wasn’t until a sharp kick to her side that Leia actually got pulled from her sleepy mind.

“Ow! That hurt!”

“Dinner’s ready,” Luke was unapologetic. “Get up.”

“I’m coming, i’m coming,” Leia groaned as she pulled back the covers and ran a hand through her hair to detangle the knots.

Luke paused for a second, feeling like a child again at the sight of his sister waking up. Countless mornings had gone this way, watching her try to de-knot the scraggly bush her hair could become after a short sleep. In their years apart, it was sobering to think about all the little things they'd been denied. It seemed like a lifetime ago since Luke had been ordered by a guardian to go wake up his sister. The things of which other siblings took for granted, Luke knew he never could.

“I like your hair down,” Luke didn’t know where the comment came from but it was true nonetheless. “You always have your hair up in some crazy style as Princess but when it’s down you look more like you.”

( _You look the little girl who used to roll down Naboo’s hills and throw mud at me when it rained_ , he wanted to say).

“Uh thanks,” Leia rolled her eyes, trying to pretend she wasn’t touched by Luke’s comment. She, too, preferred her hair down.

“Oh and one thing before we go,” Luke paused in the doorway. “Dad’s here and he’s brought his Padawan.”

Leia felt like she'd been slapped. “What!” She knew Luke was slightly annoyed at her dropping the truth bomb of time travel so casually but Leia believed she deserved a little more warning to the side-comment Luke had just dropped.

“Yeah, I woke up and heard our parents fighting— about us, actually. They got all lovey dovey which was kinda gross to witness and now they know that I know about them.” Luke tried not to cringe as he thought back to his parents kissing. Whilst on one hand it was so gross to see that, another side of him had secretly loved it. Their affection had just proved to Luke that he and Leia were children born to a happy couple who'd been very-much in love. Given who his father turned into, it was nice for Luke to see that the man hadn't always been that way.

“Did you say Padawan? Our father has a Padawan? Since when?”

“Since the start of the Clone Wars apparently,” Luke shrugged. “Her name is Ahsoka.”

“Why did Obi-Wan never tell us this?”

“Maybe she died? Obi-Wan never told us things unless it was necessary. He probably wouldn’t have told us the truth about our Father if he hadn’t feared you would follow down the same path.”

(Leia tried not to think of the yellow eyed Sith Luke became in Daughter’s vision).

“Have you met her? Ahsoka?”

“Briefly, right before I came to get you.”

“What’s she like?”

“She seemed nice," Luke thought back to how the Togruta girl had smiled kindly at him; a far cry from how Luke's own father reacted when around him. Ahsoka had greeted him pleasantly and from first appearances, Luke had been able to tell that she was a rather jovial spirit. Much like himself. (Although how Leia would take to her, he wasn't sure. His sister barely tolerated Luke's own buoyancy.)

"Oh no, was she really preppy?" Leia groaned. People with over-the-top joyous personalities were not her cup of tea and the situation Leia found herself in was insane enough for her to try and reign in her annoyances as well.

"Nah. She seems fine and probably only a year older than us,” Luke didn’t sound happy. “Imagine us fighting in a War at our age like she is! Crazy!”

“Does she seem nice?”

“Yeah, she calls Dad ‘Skyguy’ for some reason.”

“What in the Force is going on?” Leia mumbled to herself. Her Father, who she’d never actually met before, was going to eat dinner with her long-dead mother and old Padawan. Her life seemed to get crazier by the minute. Perhaps when they get back to their own time (if they ever did), Leia would have to sign herself up for a book deal.

“Come on, they’re probably waiting and i’m starving,” Luke led the way to the dining room where the others were already seated. Anakin sat next to a Togruta teenager, her face round and youthful, her montrals a mix of blue and white. Padme sat at the head of the table. Leia tried to ignore the way her heart hammered as she walked in, her eyes falling upon her father for the first time. It took everything in her power not to do a double take as she spotted the clear similarities between Anakin Skywalker and his teenage son.

“Ah, the guests arrive,” Padme teases. “You two have met Luke— this is his sister, Leia. Leia, this is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano.”

“Pleasure,” Leia took a seat opposite Ahsoka whilst Luke sat opposite Anakin. _Stay calm_ , she reminded herself. Despite it all, Leia felt her hands shake as she pressed them into her lap. She was sitting at the same table as the Jedi Knight and future Darth Vader-- a man who Leia both loved and hated.

Luke clapped his hands the second he was seated. “Who is ready to eat!”

“Always thinking about your stomach,” Leia rolled her eyes, finding her nerves slowly deteriorate with Luke by her side. She could always rely on her brother to unknowingly have her back.

“I second that notion!” Ahsoka smirked across the table to Luke as serving droids brought out the food. To Luke’s pleasure it was Bantha steak— his favourite. “I’m starving too!” Ever since he'd been a kid, Luke had loved food. He'd never been one to skip a meal.

Leia listened to her brother and Ahsoka's exchange, feeling something ugly grow in the pit of her stomach. It was petty and beneath her but no matter how hard Leia tried to dispel it, it seemed to fester.

“So Ahsoka,” Luke spoke between bites. “You’re a Padawan?”

“Yes,” Ahsoka nodded. “I’ve been Master Skywalker’s Padawan for almost 2 years now.”

‘ _If she became his Padawan at the start of the Clone Wars, that means there’s still about 1 year left_ ,’ Luke whispered to Leia through their bond.

“What’s it like being a Jedi?” Leia tried to keep her voice civil despite the growing dislike for her Father’s apprentice. It stemmed from nowhere honestly; Ahsoka hadn’t done anything wrong but Leia found each second in her presence to be irritating. Perhaps it was jealousy or simple dislike.

“It’s liberating,” Ahsoka smiled. “I like being able to help people and with this War, I know i’m doing good fighting for the Republic.”

“Liberating,” Leia hummed, pulling a face. “Odd choice of words. I thought the Jedi had a really strict code? Seems more like selling your soul to an organisation compared to being liberating.”

Everyone went silent for a second before Luke forced out a fake laugh. “She’s joking— Leia has a really warped sense of humour. Take no notice.”

“The Council is strict, yes, but the Force is freeing in more ways than you can understand,” Ahsoka frowned.

Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. With her shields up so tight, it was impossible to tell that she and Luke were Force sensitive but at that moment, something overwhelming in Leia made her want drop the shields and say “ _oh really_?”

‘ _Don’t even think about it’_ , Luke hissed.

“Of course,” Leia nodded, her voice sickly sweet. “A simpleton like me couldn’t understand the Force like you; my apologies.”

“Is there a problem?” Anakin frowned, glancing between the two teenage girls. He was starting to get the impression that Padme’s guest, this Leia girl, harboured dislike for his Padawan. Which was insane because Ahsoka was nice to everyone she met! Anakin saw no reason for Leia to dislike her.

“No,” Leia shook her head, feigning innocence. All her Princess training managed to make her seem genuine and she plastered the same sort of smile she'd shown Tarkin on her face.

“This is delicious Padme,” Ahsoka turned from Leia to the Senator. “Thank you. Skyguy and I haven’t had Bantha steak in ages!”

Anakin chuckled, something light and happy in the way he smiled. He seemed extremely relaxed around Ahsoka, his tenseness fading away as he let true happiness into his eyes. He looked a lot like Luke in that moment— all shrouds of darkness gone from his features.

Her father threw an arm around the back of Ahsoka’s chair, his hand resting on her shoulder as he gave it a small squeeze. “Consider this your present for such good behaviour recently, Snips.”

“Snips?” Leia didn’t realise she’d voiced the word until everyone’s eyes were on her.

“It’s my nickname,” Ahsoka smiled kindly, all traces of annoyance from before gone. The Jedi Padawan wasn’t sure why she wanted Leia to like her, it almost like she knew this girl was special or important in some way and she wanted to be her friend. Too bad Leia seemed to hate her. “When we first met, I called Master Skywalker ‘Skyguy’ as a joke and because of my snippy attitude, I became ‘Snips’.”

Leia felt a pang in her chest that she couldn’t explain.

Maybe she disliked Ahsoka because the girl seemed to have everything Leia wanted? Here she was, sitting in between Leia’s parents, friends with her mother and extremely close to her father. It was obvious by the way Anakin smiled at her that he cared for Ahsoka and Padme’s eyes seemed to warm significantly when she looked at the Togruta teenager.

Perhaps in another life, Leia would have a nickname from Anakin too. Something sweet and cute that he would whisper to her at bedtime or whenever she was sick. And Padme would look at her with even more warmth and love than she did Ahsoka right now.

But instead, Leia's mother was dead and she refused to acknowledge Vader as her father. She was denied Padme's warm gaze and Anakin's loving nicknames. Everything that Ahsoka had was something Leia had been denied and would never receive. And here she was now, forced to sit at the table as her parent's showered Ahsoka, a girl who shared neither their DNA, all the affection that Leia desperately craved. 

(Leia wanted to scream at them that _she_ was their daughter-- she wanted to scream at Anakin that he would single-handedly manage to take all that away from her-- but she paused, feeling like a lump formed in her throat.)

“That’s funny,” Luke chuckled, seeming to take all of this in his stride as he finished his meal, placing his knife and fork down politely. He knew his Father cared for him— he didn’t feel the same insecurities as Leia.

“You know, you guys look a lot alike,” Ahsoka suddenly pointed out, glancing between her Master and Luke. “Maybe it’s just the hair?”

“We’re just two good looking guys,” Luke teased, leaning back in his seat. His reply caused Anakin to snort.

“I see what you mean Snips,” he nodded. “We have similar chins I think.”

And identical eyes, Leia wanted to roll her own. And identical smiles. And identical dimples. And identical hair colours. And identical jaw lines. And identical face shapes.

If Leia had simply blurted out the truth that Luke was Anakin’s son, she doubted anyone could be surprised. Not when Luke looked like he could be a clone of his father.

There were differences there, sure. His features weren’t as chiselled or hash as Anakin’s for Luke had inherited Padme’s delicate frame too but it was still glaringly obvious.

“Are you sure you don’t have any long lost family, Ani?” Padme looked between the pair.

Anakin frowned. “My mother mentioned something of a sister before she was . . . brought to Tatooine but I doubt the relation comes from there; Luke seems too young. Maybe we're distantly related? The only living family i’m aware of now is my step-brother but obviously we aren’t related by blood.”

“What is your last name?” Ahsoka frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch it.’

‘ _Kriff_ ,’ Luke panicked through their bond. ‘ _What do we say? It isn’t like we can say Organa and Vader!’_

‘ _Skywalker is out too_ ’, Leia sighed. _‘Unless you wanna play the long lost second cousin idea?_ ’

‘ _Too risky_.’

‘ _Well what do we say? They’re waiting!_ ’ All eyes were on the twins as they temporarily paused.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Leia pretended she didn’t hear in order to buy more time. Neither of them listened as Ahsoka repeated herself.

‘ _We could say Kenobi_?’ Luke suggested.

 _‘Oh because Skywalker is out— sure, Kenobi is a better way to go! How do we explain being relatives of Obi-Wan?_ ’ Leia stressed. ‘What about Owen and Beru’s last name? We can say we’re Lars?’

‘ _Dad knows Owen, it’ll be more confusing why his step-brother has a son who looks just like him.’_

_‘Naberrie?’_

_‘Claiming to be from our mother’s side doesn’t answer why I would look like Dad!’_

_‘We need an answer soon, this looks suspicious!’_

And then it popped into her head. When they’d been children, Obi-Wan had had 2 important rules: one, never use the Force when outside the safety of their own home and two, to call him Ben in public. The name Obi-Wan Kenobi sparked up more red flags than Ben Kenobi did— one was a Jedi War hero whilst the other was a simple man raising two children alone.

“Benjamin,” Leia used all her Princess training to sound sincere. “Luke and Leia Benjamin. Now I think of it actually, we are descendants of people from Tatooine. I believe our Grandfather was from there before he saved up enough money to get off-world. He then had our mother on Naboo, which is where we grew up. Perhaps we are long lost relatives of some sort.”

‘ _Good lie_ ’, Luke was proud of her. ‘ _Benjamin_ ,’ he thought slowly. ‘ _Not very catchy but it fits_ ’.

“That isn’t a traditional Nubian last name,” Anakin frowned slightly.

Leia, ever quick with a lie, shrugged. “Our Father was an off-worlder. We don’t know much about him really, he abandoned us before we were born. Our mother, completely heartsick, then gave us his last name probably in the hope if he ever retuned, he would find us again.”

“How horrible,” Padme looked shocked.

“Perhaps we found your long lost cousins, Skyguy,” Ahsoka teased, nudging her Master playfully.

Just then Threepio came walking into the room, his mechanical arms moving up and down as he glanced the room looking for Padme. He seemed extremely flustered for a droid. “Mistress Padme, thank Heavens there you are!”

“What’s the matter Threepio?”

“You have an incoming call from Queen Jamillia of Naboo, Mistress Padme. It seems rather urgent!”

Their mother immediately stood, a look of seriousness crossing her face. “You’ll have to excuse me.” She walked out of the room with the grace only a former monarch could possess.

“I’ll take the plates,” Luke stood up, piling a few of them together, making the cutlery clank loudly.

“There’s droids who can do that,” Anakin frowned; it was clear this boy hadn’t been raised in a rich or established family. Leia found it endearing that even after years of living in the elite world of the Imperial hierarchy, Luke's humble background was never lost.

“I know,” Luke shrugged. “But every little helps.” Just as he was walking past Ahsoka, balancing everyone’s trays, his footing slipped. If it hadn’t been for the Togruta’s quick reflexes, there would’ve been smashed plates everywhere. “Whoops.”

“Here,” Ahsoka offered out her hands. “Let me help you.”

Leia watched as they walked out the room, both carrying a few plates and the adult’s wine glasses. With a startling realisation, she clocked that she was now left alone with her birth father. For the first time in her life it was just them. No Imperials surrounding them. No Senate applause. Just Leia and her father at the table.

Anakin cleared his throat, being the first to talk. “So how long have you been on Coruscant?”

“Not long,” Leia shrugged. It was best to not give a specific length of time, otherwise he could catch her out on the lie in the future.

“Like it here?”

“Naboo’s prettier,” she answered honestly, fidgeting with her fingers under the table. Leia knew this man wasn’t Vader (yet) but she couldn’t help but feel nervous around Anakin. Was it because she itched for him to love her just like she wanted Padme to? Or was it simply because, good or bad, this man was extremely intimidating.

Anakin smiled, nodding his head. “That I can agree with you.”

“It’s always so busy here, there’s never any peace or quiet. However, it is convenient if you wanted to do something at all hours of the day.”

Leia thought about how she and Luke snuck out every night on their birthday, going to the same mall for 3 years running. It had always been so busy and loud as if it were midday and not midnight.

“True. And the endless amounts of different food restaurants come in handy. There’s this one place, it’s by the Coruscant Mall in the backstreets. It looks a bit seedy but the food is to die for—“

“Do you mean Dex’s?” Leia remembered a place similar to what Anakin was describing when she and Luke had gone for a walk on their birthday last year. The Diner they’d passed had looked rather run down and old but Luke had managed to convince her to go in. Leia couldn’t argue that the food had been perfect.

Anakin’s face lit up, a small laugh escaping him. It was hard to imagine that this man would one day (and one day soon) become a fearful Sith Lord who would kill Leia if given the chance. “That’s the one! Obi-Wan and I used to go there so much when I was his Padawan that Dex even named one of his specialities after my Master!”

Leia’s eyes grew, thinking back to how weird she’d thought it had been that one of the meals had been called ‘The Obi’. Both her and Luke had ordered it, deciding right then and there that the food must’ve been made in Heaven itself.

“No way!”

“Way!” Anakin chuckled.

“So you’ve been to Naboo then?”

“I’ve been to lots of planets,” Anakin leaned back in his seat. “Perks of being a Jedi— but yes i’ve been to Naboo a few times. The first time was when I was 9 years old. I've since returned many times.”

“And you liked it? Naboo, I mean?” Leia thought of the dewy, green grass and the sound of the waterfalls splashing into the pool of water below off in the distance. She’d give anything to be back there.

“What’s not to like,” Anakin teased. “It’s beautiful. Although for a boy from a backwater planet, the idea of so much water in one place did freak me out a little at first.”

Leia chuckled, thinking back to when she’d first arrived at Alderaan. Unlike Naboo, Alderaan had a colder climate meaning it was far more susceptible to snow. The first time she’d woken up to see the grounds covered in white, she’d freaked. “I can imagine. So you come from Tatooine?"

Anakin's features darkened a little and Leia wondered if it were a sore topic. Obi-Wan had never indulged on much about their father's life prior to becoming a Jedi, all they'd been told was that he'd lived with their grandmother and that life had been hard. And from Luke's stories of the planet he'd lived on for 6 months, he hadn't described it to be pleasant. With twin suns and run by criminals, Leia found herself guilty in the pleasure that she'd been brought to Alderaan instead.

"Yes, I lived there until I was 9. You've been there?"

Leia shook her head, "I've heard of it, though. Its run by the Hutts, correct?"

"Mostly, yes. Tatooine is not a pleasant place, I wouldn't recommend a visit."

Leia wondered how he'd feel about Obi-Wan having taken his son to live there. She was about to ask further questions and try to delve deeper into the past of her father when he beat her to it, bringing the conversation back to a lighter topic.

“Did you live in Theed?”

Leia shook her head, “No. We lived in a small cottage away from most towns and cities. I’ve probably only been to Theed 3 or 4 times in my life. Every time I went though, I can remember the markets.”

“Ah,” Anakin nodded. “I went with Senator Amidala once when I was assigned to be her personal bodyguard. “If I recall correctly, the Shuura fruit was extremely delicious.”

“And sweet,” Leia laughed. When they’d been 8, Luke had eaten so much Shuura fruit at the markets he’d been sick on the ride home. She could still hear Obi-Wan's groans and lectures about this being the exact reason for why he'd told the young boy not to indulge in the fruit in the first place.

“Do you think you’ll return to Naboo one day?” Anakin suddenly turned serious.

“Yes,” she didn’t even hesitate. “One day— I don’t know when that’ll be though. I hope soon but life seems to have this annoying habit of doing the opposite of what I want.”

“I know the feeling."

There was still a tinge of awkwardness there but Leia felt suddenly safe in this man’s presence. This was her father— her true father; the one Obi-Wan always talked about and told them stories about. This was Anakin Skywalker: Jedi, Hero, Pilot, Husband and Father.

Leia promised right then and there that she would not let her father fall to the Dark.


	7. A Bad Idea

It was dark outside by the time Anakin and Ahsoka decided it was time to leave. Desert had been cleared away, Padme’s eyes had been drooping and Anakin had suddenly remembered he and his Padawan had a mission the following morning.

“How long will you be gone, Master Skywalker?” Padme had tried to appear unaffected at the news when everyone said their goodbyes.

“A few days,” Anakin bowed to the Senator. “A week, tops.” He winked at her when he thought no one was looking (Luke saw though. He wondered if he should call them out on it for a joke but decided to let it go).

“Then I look forward to your safe return,” she nodded, a small smile on her face as she turned to Ahsoka and wished her well. Leia watched their exchange, wondering just how hard it must've been on her mother to try and act cordial towards the man she so clearly loved. It reminded her of being forced to ignore Luke on Empire Day.

“It was . . . interesting to meet you both,” Anakin towered over the twins, nodding at them with a stoic expression. “I hope you cause the Senator little to no grief in the future.”

“Nice meeting you!” Ahsoka waved as she and Anakin climbed into a speeder and went on their way back to the Jedi Temple.

The twins and Padme watched them leave, both Luke and Leia feeling their mother’s sorrow at Anakin’s departure. Perhaps in a better future, they'd wave their father off when he left for a mission just like this. Except there would be far more hugs and kisses involved. Leia could almost picture Anakin giving the twins a similar look to the one he'd just shown them, bowing his head as he made his children promise to be good in his absence.

“I’m going to bid you goodnight,” Padme smiled kindly at them, heading off to her bedroom. “Please, if you encounter any problems either contact Threepio or myself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night,” they called in-sync, watching her go.

The second they were left alone, Leia turned to her brother. “We have to go.”

“What?” Luke took a step back, eyeing his sister for any signs of craziness. “Aren’t you the one who wanted to stay?”

“We need to follow Anakin and Ahsoka!” Leia moved to grab her cloak from the small cupboard by the entrance. She was glad she’d chosen the black one when she’d snuck out of Bail’s apartment.

“Why?”

“We have to save our father from turning to the Sith!”

“He doesn’t turn to the Sith until around the time of our birth and I don’t know if you haven’t noticed but mom is most certainly not pregnant!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Leia rolled her eyes. “Our father’s descent to the Dark Side was not sudden! It was a process long in the coming— probably starting before anyone really realises. We have to go with him and make sure he makes the right choices.”

“What exactly is your plan?”

“At Dawn we go to the Jedi Temple and we sneak aboard Anakin’s ship. By the time they’ll find us, we’ll be in hyperspace at least. If we stay close to him then we can keep an eye on him.”

“Why the sudden interest in our father, huh? I thought you hated Vader!”

“I hate Vader of course,” Leia nodded. How could she not hate the monster who killed innocents and lived off darkness and hate? The man was evil and he murdered with no remorse. “But Anakin isn’t Vader yet— if we stop this then maybe we can stop mom dying. And then it means we can grow up together. Don’t you see that’s my goal here?”

“Okay,” Luke nodded, biting his lip. “Say we do your plan, how are we meant to sneak aboard a Jedi ship? They’ll sense us!”

Leia rolled her eyes. “You seem to forget Luke, we were raised by a Jedi. A Jedi who taught us how to shield ourselves from any Force sensitive so that we practically become invisible. As long as we aren’t seen, they won’t sense us.”

Luke paused, thinking it over. After a minute he let out a long sigh. “I hate it when you’re right.”

“And I always am.”

* * *

Leia knew she was having a nightmare the second she saw Luke standing before her, dressed in black with those piercing yellow eyes glaring at her. Every cell in her body told her to run but it was like her legs were glued to the floor.

All Leia could do was stand before the monster that had killed her brother, looking into the face of a boy she’d once loved who was no longer there on the inside.

_“If you are not with me, then you’re my enemy,” Luke snarled, his voice low and full of so much hate. The dark veins crossing over his face seemed to get even darker as prepared himself for a fight. Without warning he lunged at her, red lightsaber coming down to slice her in half._

_For a second Leia thought ‘this is it’. This was how she was going to die in the time line they’d left behind. She would be sliced down by the brother she’d always loved— and always would._

_But dream Leia had other plans. She felt her arms rise up, meeting Luke’s powerful blow with a lightsaber of her own. It was blue, clashing with her brother’s as they continued to fought. Like clockwork they moved in time to their own aggressive beat, lightsabers swinging and spitting each time they hit each other._

_Dodge, hit, attack, jump, duck, attack, hit, lunge, swerve, hit, attack . . ._

_When they’d been younger the twins had played just like this, using sticks when they fenced in the garden. It had been full of laughs and the most they’d ever gotten hurt was when one would trip over or the stick would graze their skin. But as the twins fought now and one of Luke’s attacks managed to make a flesh wound on Leia’s arm, she knew the time of childish games were over._

_This was a fight to the death and she had no control over it._

_Luke was staring at her with such intensity and hatred like she were nothing more than another enemy he had to kill for the Empire. Like she wasn’t his sister. Like she meant nothing to him._

_It was too late to save her brother’s soul._

“Leia!” A sharp nudge broke her from the terrifying dream she’d been victim to. Opening her eyes, Leia looked up into the face of her real brother. Blue eyes stared down at her, not a trace of yellow in their midst. “It’s time to go if we want to sneak aboard that ship.”

“Right,” she nodded, grabbing her things as she and Luke prepared to leave. “We need weapons.”

“What?”

“To defend ourselves! We’re potentially heading to a war zone or wherever the hell our father is going!”

“And where are we meant to get weapons, exactly?” Luke put a hand on his hip, whispering so not to wake their mother as they headed to the front door.

“Bail used to have a weapon or two stashed in his Coruscant apartment— you know, in case of an attack.” Leia tiptoed around the living room, pausing when she spotted a small trap button on the inside of the breakfast bar.

“Our mother isn’t Bail Organa, Leia,” Luke rolled his eyes.

“Really?” Leia pressed the button, watching with satisfaction as the trap door opened, revealing two small but powerful blasters. “Remember Luke: I’m always right.”

Luke took one of the blaster. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Lets’s go.”

* * *

Getting to the Jedi Temple was easy. Given it was Coruscant, cabs floated around at all times of the night and early morning. The hardest part was combining their Force abilities to make the driver ‘generous’ enough to let them ride for free.

“Kriffing hell,” Luke muttered as they stared up at the magnificent Jedi Temple. It was a huge block of a building with tower spires leading up to the Dawn sky. On the outside it didn’t look like much but the pure power and intimidation it held made the twins shiver.

“How do we find Father?” Leia started to see holes in what she’d thought had been a perfect plan. “This place is far bigger than I imagined! Kriff, it’ll take a million years to find the hangar undetected.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Luke shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. “I can sense him. I guess we’re still a little connected despite him not knowing we are.”

“Can you sense where he is?”

Luke nodded, opening his eyes. “Yeah, he isn’t too far. I think we actually might make it.”

Sneaking around the Jedi Temple proved to be far easier than they could’ve imagined. Their shields were pulled up like a cloak wrapped around them, making them practically invisible to everything but the eyes. And given it was the early morning, only the early risers and those returning from missions were up to spot them. They hid in the shadows, their dark clothing hiding them from any passing Jedi as they made their way to the ship’s hangars.

“It’s that one,” Luke pointed to a rather large shuttle, watching as Clones carried crates onto it. Whether the crates continued supplies or weapons, neither of them knew. “You still want to do this?”

“Yeah,” Leia nodded, retreating more into the shadows as she spotted Anakin and Obi-Wan walk towards their awaiting shuttle.

“It shouldn’t take more than an hour to dock onboard my flagship,” Anakin spoke confidently to Obi-Wan. “Admiral Yularen is awaiting us as we speak.”

“Very well,” Obi-Wan played with his beard. “And we are ready to go?”

Anakin nodded. “The Troopers are just finishing loading the supplies, Master.”

“And Ahsoka?”

“On her way.”

“We have to go soon,” Leia hissed to Luke, realising their window of climbing aboard the ship was running out. “If we don’t, they’ll go without us.”

Just then Ahsoka came running down, coming to a stop by Anakin and Obi-Wan with a friendly smile. “Sorry i’m late Master!”

“It’s no problem Snips, let’s get aboard.” The twins watched as their father, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka walked the shuttle’s ramp, dodging the few Clone still carrying up the crates.

“We need to get closer!” Luke whispered, edging closer to the end of the shadows. “Come on!”

Leia watched with wide eyes as her brother suddenly made a break for it, running like his life depended on it as he made it to the shuttle. She watched as a Clone managed to miss him, their back turned for the briefest of seconds, whilst he boarded the ship.

‘ _Did anyone see_?’ Luke whispered across their bond.

‘ _You’d know by now if they had_ ,’ Leia sighed.

‘ _Come on Leia or you’ll miss the gap. This was all your idea if i recall!_ ’

Leia swallowed, feeling anxiety course through her. She had seconds, that was it. All it took was a little bit of mistiming and someone would spot her and the jig would be up. If Luke could do it, so could she— right?

The last Clone walked down the ramp, the final crate having been stored on the shuttle.

It was now or never.

Breaking out into a sprint, Leia made sure to keep her shields up around her as she headed towards the shuttle. The ramp started to close, slowly rising just as she approached it. One large jump, pulling herself in and she’d made it.

‘ _Over here_ ,’ Luke beckoned her with the Force, showing her the little storage hole he’d managed to curl himself up in. ‘ _They won’t see us here_ ’.

‘ _I can’t believe it worked_ ,’ Leia laughed as she squeezed in next to her brother.

‘ _How come you came up with the idea if you didn’t think it would work_?’

‘ _I guess I just believed in dumb luck_.’

They sat in silence as the shuttle started to warm up, hearing the faint noise of their father talking somewhere in the distance. It wouldn’t be long until they docked on the Star Destroyer and were ultimately found along the cargo but as they waited, listening to the sounds of the Clones talk and Anakin’s rumbling laughter, they knew it would be worth it.


	8. Skywalker Stowaways

In all the excitement of sneaking aboard a Republic ship and waking up at the crack of Dawn, Luke felt himself fall asleep as they waited for the shuttle to dock at the Star Destroyer. One second his eyes had felt like weights, getting pulled down as his head lulled to the side and the next second he was standing in Naboo’s fields, his sister standing beside him.

Except Leia wasn’t the 15 year old currently sitting next to him in the cargo hold, surrounded by crates of supplies. This Leia was a child, no more than 10 years old. Her hair was done up in two plaits far neater than anything Obi-Wan could have ever done and she had the same toothy smile she’d always sported when they played.

_“Race ya!” Leia giggled, not waiting for his reply before tearing it down through the thick grass. He watched as she went, laughing all the way, not even caring that the hem of her pink dress was getting wet._

_“Don’t you want to play with your sister?” A warm voice sounded behind him, a gentle hand slowly stroking the hair on the top of his head. Luke turned around to see his mother, a few years older than she’d been during the dinner, standing before him. She wasn’t dressed in any elaborate dress and her hair was falling down her back in waves but her smile was the same._

Luke suddenly realised that he was looking up at Padme. Where he’d been the same height as her as a teenager, he was now looking up at her as if he’d shrunk. One look at his hands and Luke guessed he was probably the same age as Leia in the region of being under 10.

_“Luke?” Padme ducked down, not caring that her dress would get dirty in the field as she rubbed her thumb across her son’s cheek. “What’s wrong?”_

_“He’s just pouting because I wouldn’t let him fly the speeder this morning, aren’t you kiddo?” Anakin appeared, dressed in a simple tunic and trousers. There were no Jedi robes nor lightsaber attached to his hip. All he had was a large smile and a look of love as he playfully ruffled Luke’s hair._

_Padme smiled, standing up and wrapping her arms around her husband’s torso._

_“Well I know just how to cheer you up!” Anakin broke free, reaching out for Luke and using the Force to help hoist the boy up into his arms, using a free hand to tickle his son. “Are you gonna smile, huh? No more pouting?”_

_Anakin continued to tickle Luke until a laugh broke free. And when the first giggle came out, Luke couldn’t stop the rest. He chuckled and squirmed in his father’s embrace until he was all out of breath._

_“There’s that smile,” Anakin held Luke close to his chest, blue eyes meeting blue as he pressed a kiss to the boy’s cheek. “You’ll fly one day Luke, I promise. And i’ll be the proudest Dad in the Galaxy when you do.”_

_Luke didn’t know what to say, just letting a smile cross his cheeks as he leaned his head down on Anakin’s shoulder, feeling Padme’s warm hand stroke the hair on the back of his neck._

_“I won the race!” Leia suddenly reappeared, twirling around with unlimited energy before her parents. “I’m the fastest twin!” She sang in a sing-song voice. “Lukey's the slowest!”_

_“Only because I didn’t actually race you,” Luke stuck out his tongue at her. Where the affection from both Anakin and Padme was unusual and foreign in Luke's mind, teasing with Leia felt the exact same as normal. “Shaak butt!”_

_“Sleemo!”_

_“Bantha poodoo!”_

_“Luke! Leia!” Padme frowned, her hand retracting from Luke’s hair. “Don’t say such foul language!”_

_“Or what?” Leia placed her hands on her hips with enough sass of a girl three times her age. Luke knew what she was doing, she was purposely baiting their mother. He'd seen her do this to Obi-Wan enough times to know his sister was only joking and meant no real harm._

_“Or you little Skywalker’s will be grounded,” Anakin frowned at her, raising one eyebrow. “Or worse.”_

_“Worse?” Leia continued to goad, all talk no bite._

_“Yeah,” Anakin kneeled down in front of her, putting Luke down so he could look at both his children. “Legend has it that naughty children get visited by a monster if they misbehave.”_

_“What kind of monster?” Luke wasn’t sure if he should feel scared or intrigued._

_“The tickle monster!” Anakin pounced, his hands going out to tickle at the twins, using the Force to keep them in place. Leia shrieked, falling to the ground as Anakin continued to tickle her, both her and Luke laughing so loud they were sure the Gungans in the sea could probably hear._

_“Daddy stop!” Leia giggled after a few minutes. “We’ll behave! We’ll behave!”_

_“That’s my girl,” Anakin smirked, pulling Leia into a hug as Padme did the same for Luke. They sat there, one child in each parent’s arms, the feeling of safety circling Luke like he’d never felt before. He could remember an echo of this from his childhood with Obi-Wan but there had always been a threat over the horizon, casting a dark shadow even in their happiest moments. Here there was no threat; there was no fear of separation._

_As Luke lay in his mother's arms, enjoying a comfort that felt both so familiar and foreign, Luke felt loved. He felt adored._

A sharp kick woke him up from his dream.

“Looks like we have a couple of stow-aways,” the metallic voice of a Clone Trooper drifted into Luke’s head. He blinked awake just as one of them extended a leg to kick him again. “Rise and shine sleepy head.”

“Oh kriff,” Luke cringed. They’d been caught. He just hoped they’d docked with the Star Destroyer by now.

“That’s right,” one of the troopers sounded disapproving. “You’re in serious trouble kid. Maybe wake your partner in crime up too before the Captain comes.”

Luke did just that, almost finding it amusing at how Leia’s eyes widened at the sight of the Clones before them. “Hello,” she smiled weakly, waving awkwardly. He could feel her embarrassment at being caught through their bond. Perhaps falling asleep whilst trying to carry out a stealth mission wasn't the best decision.

The doors to the cargo hold opened, with a Clone Captain walking in. Despite his helmet still being in place, the twins could tell he was frowning. Unlike the other Clones, this one had blue marking over his outfit and air of respectability.

“Captain,” the Clone closest to Luke stood to attention. “We found these two stowaways surrounded by the crates! What should we do with them?”

“We’ve already docked at the Star Destroyer,” the Captain crossed his arms, looking down at the twins with dislike. As much as they complained about looking young for their age, Leia knew her and Luke's youthful innocence obviously meant the Clones didn't see them as a big threat. A nuisance maybe, but not a massive threat that could risk all the lives on the Star Destroyer. “Go inform General Skywalker and General Kenobi about the situation. I’ll stay here to guard them.”

Leia couldn't help but roll her eyes. “You hardly need to guard us.”

The Captain didn’t seem pleased. “You’ve illegally trespassed onto a Republic Star Destroyer— i’m not meant to view you as a threat, eh?” His sarcastic tone almost rivalled Leia’s.

“We didn’t mean any harm,” Luke put on his best innocent display. Where Leia was the perfect liar, Luke could win awards for how clueless and naive he could pretend to be. “We didn’t know you would be going to a Star Destroyer!”

“Where exactly did you sneak onboard?” The Captain had his hands far too close to the blaster on his hip for Leia’s liking.

“The Jedi Temple.”

He paused, sounding shocked. “You’re Jedi?”

“No,” Leia scoffed. “Do we look like Jedi?”

“Jedi come in all different shapes and sizes,” the Captain growled.

“Aw,” Leia cooed in a sarcastic way. “That’s inspirational— you should put that on a sticker.”

The blaster was suddenly aimed at her head, the Clone clearly having had enough of her tricks. “Whoah, calm down!” Luke raised a hand, getting unwanted flashbacks to when he’d woken up to Captain Typhoo’s blaster in his face. “We’re friends of Anakin— I mean, Master Skywalker's. We followed him here!”

The Clone let his weapon drop but his grip on it remained tight. “You know General Skywalker?”

“We met him last night.”

“We really didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Luke shook his head. He released a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding once the blaster was no longer pointed at his twin's head. “We saw him get on this shuttle— we had no idea it was illegal for us to board ourselves.”

Just then the door opened and the man in question walked in. With Luke and Leia still squished on the floor, Anakin's tall form towered over them. It was very clear to them that they had inherited their mother's stature and height. Even though it was well-known that Vader was a cyborg skyscraper, Luke had always assumed it was the bionic legs that had increased his height. Apparently not.

“What in the name of the Force are you doing here?” Anakin hissed, glaring down at the twins with such dislike they both instantly recoiled. All flashes of Luke's happy dream and Anakin's loving voice instantly disappeared. In this moment, his father reminded him more of the Sith Lord he'd left back in the past compared to the Jedi he'd grown up hearing stories about from Obi-Wan.

“You know them sir?” The Captain still seemed hesitant to believe Luke’s story.

“Stand down Rex,” Anakin sighed. “These are Senator Amidala’s house guests.”

“What are they doing here?” Rex— Luke thought that was a pretty cool name for a Clone— sounded just as confused as Anakin did.

“I would like to know that myself,” their father turned back to them. “Well, start your explanations!”

“We wanted to see you!” Even to Leia it didn’t sound believable.

“We thought it would be cool to see Jedi in action,” Luke came to her rescue. “We wanted to see it up close.”

“So you snuck onto a _Republic flagship_ in order to see Jedi in action?!” Anakin’s frown grew. He was clenching his fist in the way Luke had grown to understand he was getting increasingly frustrated. And from the slight tilt of Anakin's head, Luke knew they were in for a lecture.

“Technically we snuck aboard your _shuttle_ which _then_ docked with a Republic flagship.”

“No!” Anakin snapped his fingers, his anger growing with each second. “You don’t get to talk back to me right now! I could get you arrested for this! Your presence could compromise any imminent battles and put others— and your own— lives at risk! What you've done is not only dangerous but extremely stupid!”

Leia clamped her mouth shut. In all her life whenever she’d spoken back to an adult (mostly Obi-Wan and Bail), she’d never had such a response thrown back to her. It seemed the fire that created her own passions had been inherited from her father. They almost outmatched each other. She was suddenly glad that she'd never met Vader in her real time-line, otherwise the results could've been catastrophic. 

‘ _This was a bad idea_ ’, Luke gulped. He cringed at how much his father seemed to be seething. Even after living with Vader for a few years now, Luke was still not well-adjusted to his father's temper. Obi-Wan had always been calmer in his anger and frustrations.

‘ _Yeah, no poodoo!’_

‘ _Are we going to be arrested_?’ Leia could practically feel Luke's nerves and for a second, she allowed his fears to wash over her. The idea of being sent to prison was not one she took lightly. 

‘ _Surely our father won’t arrest us_!’

‘ _He doesn’t know he’s our father_!’

‘ _Kriff_.’

“Take these two to my quarters,” Anakin suddenly turned to Rex, ignoring the twins. “Lock the doors. I have to continue my briefing with Obi-Wan before I can deal with them.”

Leia and Luke watched as their father turned on his heel, preparing to leave the room when he suddenly paused. With a look that screamed anger, he stared into the eyes of his children. “Call Senator Amidala when you get to my quarters, no doubt she is worried for you.”

And then he was gone. And the twins were in deep, deep trouble.

* * *

“So you’re a Captain?” Luke seemed interested as Rex walked them through the long, narrow corridors of the flagship to their father’s personal quarters. They passed thousands of Clones as they went, getting odd looks each time.

“Of the 501st, yes,” Rex kept his voice clipped. It didn’t take a genius to guess he didn’t really like the twins. _Join the club_ , Leia rolled her eyes.

“That’s Master Skywalker’s Legion?”

“Yes.”

“Cool,” Luke craned his neck as they walked, trying to see all he could. This was his first time on a flagship, he realised. He was actually in Space right now! His father had commanded the _Executor_ back in his own time but Vader had always refused to let Luke board it, most likely out of fear that his son would embarrass and undermine his authority. Luke always tended to have a habit of that.

“Stop that,” Rex nudged Luke when he paused for a second, peering down a corridor they passed.

“Hey can we make a detour to the canteen,” the boy ignored the Clone’s snappy attitude. “I’m starving!”

“General Skywalker’s orders were to take you to his quarters.”

“But we can get food and then go to his quarters.”

“He never said no detours,” Leia perked up. Now she thought of it, she was quite hungry too.

“He didn’t say to do any either.”

Luke groaned. “Come on! Aren’t you a little hungry? It’s gotta be getting closer to lunch time right now!” Rex ignored him. “Can you at least drop us off at Master Skywalker’s quarters and then bring us food?”

“No.”

“But it wouldn’t be much extra effort!”

“I’m a Captain, not a babysitter.” Rex raised his eyebrows at Luke's whiny tone, making it clear that the boy's attitude was doing him no favours.

Leia rolled her eyes as they reached the door to their father’s quarters. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Rex didn’t take kindly to her comment. “Get inside,” he ordered when the doors slid open. “You’ve already caused enough trouble.” With that the door slid closed on their faces, the sound of the lock clicking in place making the twins sigh.

“Everyone seems to hate us,” Luke switched on the light to their father’s room. It was plain with nothing but a bed and small side table with the oldest pair of drawers Leia had ever seen. In all honesty, it looked more like a prison cell. _No, scratch that_ , Leia thought; _there are nicer prison cells to this on Alderaan_.

“I guess we do have that effect,” Leia rolled her eyes again as she sat down on the end of the bed. The mattress wasn’t even soft. It felt like sitting on a rock. She wiggled uncomfortably, wondering if this was the best the Republic could provide for its soldiers.

“I think it’s you,” Luke placed his back on the wall, sliding down until he was on the floor. “You’re too sarcastic for your own good.”

“Whatever.” They could play the blame game for as many hours as they had before Anakin returned but Leia wasn't interested.

“Do you know mom’s comm channel?” Luke suddenly asked, standing up so he could walk to the wall where a calling device was fixed into it. “Dad said to call her.”

“Call the building.”

“Right,” Luke paused. “What’s the number?”

Leia sighed loudly, pulling herself off the bed. She remembered the number from when she’d looked up her mother’s apartment. It took far longer than either twin had patience for but in the end they managed to get ahold of their mother.

Looking into her worried eyes, her face relaxing with grief, Leia and Luke felt instantly guilty. “There you are! I’ve been worried sick! I woke up this morning to find you gone! I thought you'd just up and left! Where are you?”

“Uh, about that . . . we’re kind of on a Republic flagship.”

“What!”

Leia cringed. “We followed Master Skywalker this morning and snuck onto his shuttle.” Now that she was admitting to it, she could see the point their father had been making about stupidity.

“That’s incredibly dangerous! You could’ve been shot by the Clones! They could've thought you were a threat!”

“I know.”

“Does Anakin— I mean, Master Skywalker know you are with him now?”

“Yes,” Luke frowned at the memory. “We’re in his quarters.”

“I guess there’s little much to be done now,” Padme sighed, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you did something so reckless!” She had no idea why the disappearance of the twins had rattled her so. When Padme had woken up to find the children gone, she’d all but freaked out. She'd only known them for a day and yet the worry had grown in her chest like some sort of beast. It had chewed at her heart in a way she'd never experienced before until the faces of Luke and Leia had appeared before her on the Holo-com.

At least with Anakin, she knew they would be safe. Well, not really but she trusted him to look after them.

After a short talk (with lots of chastising), Padme ended the call. “Tell Master Skywalker I demand he keep you safe.”

“Will do m’lady,” Luke smirked when their mother disappeared. “Mom’s scary when mad.”

“Not as much as our father though. Obi-Wan was never this strict,” Leia sat back down on the bed. They sat in silence again until Luke’s stomach growled.

“Do you think he’ll return soon?” Luke grumbled, sounding pitiful. “I’m starving!”

“What makes you think he’ll even let you eat when he arrives?”

Luke groaned, moving over to the door.

“Luke what are you doing?” Leia eyed him curiously. She watched as her brother extended a hand towards the lock before the sound of an unmissable click was heard.

“I’m getting food,” he turned to her with determination. “Dad can yell at us all he wants but I won’t be yelled at on an empty stomach.”

“To hell with it,” Leia grumbled, following her brother. They were already in trouble— who cares about getting into a little more?


	9. Food Glorious Food

“Look at all this food!” Luke’s eyes were wide as he grabbed a tray, moving down the line of hot meals as his mouth watered. The canteen was huge with droids rolling around behind the food, cooking as they went and thousands of benches, all white, placed in rows. Considering it was either before or after lunch (the twins weren’t sure), it was all but empty apart from a few Clones munching away in the corner.

“Luke!” Leia chastised when her brother starting loading up with as much as he could. “Don’t take all of it!”

“I’m hungry and i’m about to be lectured, I deserve this.” After 4 and a half years with Vader, Luke knew their father’s lectures were both never-ending and annoying. He was honestly dreading this. And given Anakin's complete rage earlier, Luke wouldn't surprised if this meal ended up being his last.

Leia rolled her eyes, grabbing a smaller portion of the food. For a Government run flagship, the food really was without end.

“This smells so good,” Luke wasted no time in shoving it in his mouth the second they were seated. Leia had always known Luke could eat like no-one was watching but after 5 years of being separated, she'd almost forgotten how much of a _pig_ he could be.

She cringed, trying to look anywhere except at her brother's appalling lack of table manners. Honestly, if Obi-Wan saw this then he'd be disappointed. The man had spent years trying to instil manners into Luke Skywalker's head. “So this is a flagship. I always expected it to be dark and terrifying.”

“The Sith don’t control them yet,” her brother pointed out. “The Jedi aren’t really ‘dark and terrifying’”.

“What’s this about Jedi?” The twins frowned at the familiar tones of a Clone approaching them. Two un-helmeted Clones stood before them, both holding trays of food. Just like Rex, their uniform was painted blue. Leia guessed that meant they were in the same Legion.

“You were hungry,” one of them smirked at Luke. Without their helmets, the Clones looked just like another pair of identical twins. They both had tanned skin and black hair but one of the Clones tied their hair up into a bun behind their head, a teardrop tattoo underneath their right eye. The other Clone had short hair but a small goatee.

Luke shrugged, continuing to shovel food in his mouth.

“Slow down kid,” the Clone with a goatee chuckled, taking a seat next to Luke. “Your food will still be there if you pause.”

The Clone with the tattoo sat next to Leia, rolling his eyes. “Ignore Fives, he always eats like a snail.”

“At least I chew when I eat!” Fives looked slightly disgusted at Luke’s way of eating. Leia could whole-heartedly understand why.

“Fives?” Leia frowned, gaining his attention.

“Technically the name is CT-5555 but everyone calls me Fives. This here,” he gestured to the Clone beside Leia, “is CT-5385.”

“Call me Tup,” the Clone, Tup, smiled at her.

“I’m Leia and this is my brother Luke,” she smiled back. It wasn't often that a person got to see the man underneath the armour and Leia was interested to meet some of the men who'd fought for the Republic before turning on the Jedi. She didn't resent the Clones though for their part in bringing down the Order or helping to form the Empire; they were nothing but pawns in the Emperor's game and Leia knew just how manipulative and ruthless Palpatine could be.

“We haven’t seen you here before,” Fives blew on his soup, waiting for it to almost get cold before eating. Leia had to agree with Tup that Fives did eat rather slowly.

“We’re new,” Leia shrugged.

“Not one for many words, eh?” Tup laughed.

“Leia never stops talking,” Luke paused in devouring his meal to throw the comment in. He ignored the glare his sister sent his way. 

_'What? It's true!_ ' He argued at her, receiving nothing but a huff of annoyance through their bond.

“You’re like Fives then,” Tup joked. “He’s a chatterbox too.”

“Watch it, brother,” Fives pointed his spoon at Tup.

“Oh yeah— or what?”

For a second, Leia actually believed there would be a fight. Until the two Clones started laughing. “Are you in the 501st?” She prayed that was the correct Legion her father commanded, it would be embarrassing if she got it wrong. As well-educated as Leia was, being a Princess after all, her history was rather sketchy given all the propaganda the Empire fed the academic board. All she had to go on were Obi-Wan and Bail's hazy accounts, unmarred by the Empire's lies.

“Proudly yes.”

“We just met Rex,” Luke put his fork down, only vegetables left on his plate now. Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes; of course her brother would decide he was full the second the vegetables were left. “He was a bit grumpy.”

“Sounds like Rex,” Fives chuckled. “Always so serious.”

"You've got to get on his good side," Tup smirked. "Then he lightens up."

"Well, I doubt we'll ever be on his good side," Leia sighed, good-naturedly. "He hates us."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Leia called him a babysitter," Luke crinkled his nose. "He didn't seem to take it well."

Leia scoffed at her brother. She was getting the blame? "You bugged him to get us food! Which he then denied _because_ of your bugging!"

Tup chuckled at Leia and Luke's mini-argument, finding himself liking the two teens with ease. There was something special about them, he could tell. “I'm sure Rex will warm up to you. Where are you two from? You look rather familiar.”

“Naboo,” Leia smiled. “Up until recently. I doubt you would know us though, this is our first time on a Star Destroyer.”

“Where are you guys from?” Luke added.

“Kamino, born and raised,” Fives answered for the both of them. “Bred there since before the War even started.”

“Bred?”

“That’s how we were made. They used the genetic makeup of Jango Fett to identically clone all of us.”

“The bounty hunter?!” Luke’s mouth dropped open. “No way! So he’s like your Dad in a way?”

Fives pulled a face. “We’re Clones of him, not relatives. He’s no more our Father than the Kaminoan's who bred us are.”

“But you see yourselves as brothers?” Leia pointed out, incredibly interested by this discussion. In her time-line she’d never considered the Clones as people— they’d just been Stormtroopers, evil identical copies who murdered all the Jedi and were henchmen for the Empire. Talking to the men behind the mask, Leia could see more clearly now. They lived and breathed just like her.

“Well, of course,” Fives smirked at Tup. “We’re all we’ve ever had in a way. We’re brothers in arms and brothers in blood.”

“What’s it like being a Clone?” Luke suddenly asked. Being fraternal twins of different genders with Leia, he’d never experienced the identical twin struggles of constantly being compared to someone who looks exactly like you. Since the twins never looked alike, they were hardly ever compared. Luke couldn’t fathom how it must feel to look all around and only ever see your face staring back at you.

“What do you mean?” Tup frowned.

“There’s literally millions of people who look just like you,” Luke explained. “Surely it’s strange to be on such a huge ship and almost every face you see is your own?”

“We don’t like to be compared as one and the same,” Tup frowned even more. “We look alike, yes, but every Clone— every brother— is different in their own way. Like I have long hair and my tattoo under my eye and like Fives has a goatee and the tattoo ‘5’ on his temple: we’re different. We’re our own person and we have different personalities.”

“But yes,” Fives tried to lighten the mood. “I guess you could say it’s weird to look around and see faces just like yours at every turn.”

Leia wondered what it must truly be like for the Clones, having been bred like creatures and not like people in a place where they’d been refused affection and parental care. They’d been created for the War and the War only; constantly being seen as disposable in the eyes of the Republic and then the Empire subsequently. They were nothing but soldiers— all carbon copies of each other. Did it matter to the Republic when a Clone died? No, all they had to do was go back to the lab and breed a thousand more who looked like the last.

But they were people, Leia realised. They weren’t copies of each other, trained for War like that was all that mattered. Tup made a point of styling his hair in the way he did and Fives had kindness to him, shown through his humour. They were brothers in a Galaxy where they’d been denied family.

It seemed like a cruel existence. And she hated the Emperor all the more for being a part of it.

* * *

Anakin clenched his fist, as the briefing finally finished; he’d hardly been able to keep track of what was going on due to the angry thoughts floating around his head. He could still hardly believe that Luke and Leia had snuck aboard his ship and placed themselves in such danger. Civilians were not safe in a war zone! Not to mention trespassing on the Republic’s military's property was illegal!

He’d told Padme to send the children to RCS and save herself the trouble that he was sure they weren’t worth but she’d not listened! And now he was suffering the consequences! Who did the twins think they were? They had one meal with the Senator of Naboo and two Jedi and suddenly they think they’re the top dogs who can go wherever they liked?

Despite his anger over the situation and complete distrust of the children, there was also something akin to fear in his chest. They could’ve gotten hurt at any time since sneaking aboard. The Clones, whilst good men, were soldiers and if one of them had shot first, asked questions later then his wife’s new friends would be dead. That thought suddenly had Anakin shivering.

(Why did he feel so protective over them? Was it because he knew Padme liked them?)

“Rex,” Anakin called just as he was about to leave the briefing room. “You did as I asked?”

His Clone Captain and friend nodded. “And locked the door, sir.”

“Good,” he clenched his fist a few more times, trying to calm down. “I guess i’ll go sort them out. Any suggestions on how to make two teenagers feel guilty for their actions?”

“Perhaps insert the fear of the Force in them,” Obi-Wan spoke dryly, having joined the conversation. “What’s this about Anakin? I’m guessing this was the reason for why you were so distracted in the briefing.”

“Sorry Master,” Anakin sighed. “I’m sort of . . . _dealing_ with something right now.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Ahsoka piped up, crossing her arms. “What’ve you done now?”

“Why do you assume _I_ did something?!”

“Because we know you, my old Padawan. But please do explain,” Obi-Wan gestured for Anakin to talk. He was looking at his former apprentice with a look Anakin knew all too well.

“You know Padme’s house guests?”

“The ones who broke into her apartment yesterday?”

“Yes. They’ve snuck aboard the ship.”

“You mean _THIS_ ship?” Ahsoka’s eyes were wide. “The Republic flagship?!”

“Yes,” Anakin sighed. He was suddenly struck with the realisation that Ahsoka was a teenager too and she could probably only be a year or two older than Luke and Leia. Yet, for reasons unknown to him, the twins seemed far more out of control and reckless than she. Or maybe his desire to protect them outweighed that for his Padawan.

No, Anakin mentally shook his head. He loved Ahsoka like a little sister— how could two strangers he met last night feel more important to him than her? It wasn't possible.

“Anakin, this makes matters far more complicated,” Obi-Wan frowned. “We have two civilians onboard a Star Destroyer! Two children at that!”

“They’re currently locked in my private quarters Master, i’m keeping them in there for their own safety.”

“Yes, good idea,” Obi-Wan mumbled. “Those two certainly have a skill for trouble. I must say I had hoped their knack for breaking and entering would be over after their first stunt.”

“Care to come with me to berate them?” Anakin smirked. “If my memory serves me well, you’re extremely good at giving lectures. And by good, I mean loud and boring.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes but agreed to go nonetheless. “I hope you realise these children are being left in your care, Anakin.”

“You mean you don’t want to add babysitter to your CV, Master?” Anakin teased. “I can see it now: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi and Expert Babysitter!”

The auburn haired man just sighed. “Why ever do I put up with you?” His former Padawan just laughed.

“Good cop, bad cop?” Anakin suggested, pointing at Obi-Wan first then himself. They were standing outside his personal quarters and ready to ream the twins for all they were worth. It would be interesting to see Obi-Wan lecture someone who wasn’t him as well.

“Or perhaps we both play the role of bad cop,” Obi-Wan reached out a hand and motioned for the door to unlock so they could enter. When they walked in though, the lights were on but the room was empty.

“What?” Anakin frowned, stepping inside despite the small space being completely void of life. “Rex left them here! He locked the door!”

“It seems we’ve gravely underestimated these two, once again,” Obi-Wan scratched his beard. “Given they’ve broken into Senator Amidala’s apartment and snuck onto your shuttle, it makes sense they can escape a locked room.”

Anakin frowned even more. Those children were in so much trouble!

* * *

“Bet you can’t do this!” Fives chuckled, throwing a fruit cube up in the air and catching it with this mouth. Both Fives and Tup had initially indented to take a short lunch break but after finding the twins, they found themselves having far too much fun to leave. Neither Fives nor Tup could recall enjoying themselves this much at such childish games in a long time. With the war waging with no end in sight, the small moments like these were often forgone.

Leia and Luke cheered at his catch.

“Can you do this?” Luke grabbed a clean spoon, balancing it on the tip of his nose. He pulled funny faces, all the while keeping the spoon attached.

“Impressive,” Tup laughed. He turned to Leia, “You got any tricks?”

Leia had spent the past 5 years being taught Princess etiquette. She knew what knife and fork to use with each meal and exactly where she should place her napkin at the start of each dinner. Her dinner time had been shaped and moulded until she no longer enjoyed the experience of gathering at meal time to eat around her friends and family.

“Oh no,” she smiled, somewhat shyly.

“Do that thing you used to do that looked you were eating your spoon!” Luke’s smile was glued to his face.

“Luke!” Leia hissed, slightly embarrassed.

“You have to do it now!” Fives laughed. To her dismay, Leia turned in her seat so all of them could only see one side of her face. She picked up her spoon and placed it by the side of her face facing away from them, moving it backwards as she moved her mouth like she was eating something.

Luke cheered, with Fives and Tup clapping at her display. Cheeks red, Leia faked a half-bow. "Thank you, thank you very much!" She teased.

“You all seem to be having fun,” Obi-Wan’s dry tone cut through the festivities. Leia turned back in her seat, looking over Fives’ shoulder to see Obi-Wan and Anakin standing there, identical looks of displeasure on their faces. Anakin looked extremely pissed as he crossed his arms, glaring at the twins.

“General Skywalker and Kenobi, sir!” Fives and Tup yelled in unison, standing up and saluting their superiors. “We were just enjoying lunch, sir.”

“Er hi,” Leia bit the inside of her lip. “Hey Obi-Wan, long time no see.”

“Not long enough it would seem,” their former guardian raised his eyebrows. “You’ve caused a lot of problems being here.”

“So we’ve been told,” Luke muttered, reaching over to Fives abandoned tray to finish his fruit cubes.

“You know the twins, Generals?” Fives turned back to the twins, frowning.

“We’ve met,” Anakin spoke briskly. “They aren’t exactly meant to be here.”

“Any by 'exactly', he means not at all.” Leia filled in the gaps. “We snuck aboard.”

Despite the situation, Tup chuckled. “You two are in a lot of trouble.” Leia smirked back him. She liked both these Clones, they seemed to be some of the only few people who actually liked her and Luke for who they were. It was refreshing to be able to laugh with people without feeling the need to change who you are. And given she nor Luke had met either Clone in the future, there was no fear of accidentally slipping up and saying something too personal that a stranger could never know.

“You can say that again,” Anakin didn’t find the situation amusing. His arms were crossed firmly over his chest and he kept his eyes trained on the twins as he addressed his men. “Fives, Tup, you’re probably wanted by Rex— I suggest you go find him.”

“Yes sir!” They yelled in unison, saluting before walking off. Both stopped before they left to give the twins a smirk and wink. Luke and Leia waved back.

' _I like them_ ,' Leia couldn't help but reiterate her feelings to her brother. Luke sent her an acknowledgment back.

“You caught us!” Luke threw his hands up, still munching on Fives’ fruit cubes. He hoped his melodrama would ease the budding tension. “We were hungry, okay! We just wanted food.”

“You were meant to stay in my quarters!”

“What, so you could come back to two corpses!” Luke spoke dramatically.

“You were not _that_ hungry, young one,” Obi-Wan sighed in the same voice he’d used when he’d tried to reason with the twins in their timeline. It seemed the Obi-Wan in the past had little time for Luke's dramatics as the Obi-Wan of the future did.

“Tell that to my stomach,” Luke grumbled.

“Well, since you now seem to be finished,” Anakin hissed when Luke finished his last fruit cube. “You’ll have no problems going back to my quarters now.”

“We were already heading back there,” Leia stuck her nose up as she and Luke rose from the table, heading towards the exit of the canteen.

“I swear,” Anakin whispered to Obi-Wan as the twins strutted forward. “I’m going to kill them.”

“Patience,” Obi-Wan patted his friend’s shoulder. “They’re young and full of insolence— if anything, they remind me a little of you.”

Anakin looked outraged. “I was never this bad!” He thought of how rude Leia could be and how Luke's melodramatic display. He thought of how they’d broken into his wife’s home and slept on their bed like it was no big deal or how they’d snuck onto his flagship without detection. He thought of Leia’s sarcastic eye rolls and Luke’s teasing behaviour.

He’d been bad— Anakin wasn’t denying that— but he’d never been _that_ bad.

“You’d be surprised, my former Padawan,” Obi-Wan chuckled, moving to follow the twins.

Force help him, Anakin rolled his eyes. Were these children some sort of retribution for his own teenage angst?


	10. Blaster Fire

Leia and Luke were sat on their father’s stiff bed, staring up into the face of their former guardian and biological father. Standing side by side, Anakin and Obi-Wan looked like a formidable team but neither twin was phased by their obvious effort into looking intimidating. 

“Perhaps you two can start with explaining why you snuck onto this flagship,” Obi-Wan started the conversation. He always did this, the twins realised. Obi-Wan got them to explain why they did something so he could break down their argument piece by piece and explain why what they’d done had been wrong or dangerous. Where they'd come to reason that Anakin just yelled, Obi-Wan reacted pragmatically.

“We didn’t sneak onto the flagship,” Leia upheld her stubbornness. “We snuck onto the _shuttle_ — which docked with the flagship.”

Anakin clenched his fists. “You must’ve known it would dock with the flagship!”

“We didn’t think that far ahead,” Luke feigned innocence.

“ _What do you mean_ you didn’t think that far ahead,” Anakin growled, fist clenching and unclenching. He felt like he was talking to a wall of insolence and for reasons unknown to him, Luke and Leia managed to infuriate him in ways he'd never believed possible. “It should’ve been the first thing you—“

“Anakin, calm down,” Obi-Wan chastised, turning back to the twins. “Explain why you boarded the shuttle.”

“We wanted to see you guys in action,” Leia stuck to her lie from before. “We thought it would be cool.”

“You didn’t think about the risks of such a thing beforehand?”

“No.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “You’ve acted extremely recklessly, young ones.”

“Don’t call us that,” Luke mumbled, his comment ignored.

“You’ve put your lives at great risk. However, there is nothing we can do now. We were just sent here to oversee a trading of supplies so in a few days time when we arrive back at Coruscant, we will return you safely.”

“That’s it?” Anakin frowned. “They should be punished!”

“Uh, innocent until proven guilty!” Leia crossed her arms.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Anakin turned from her, a deep scowl on her face and incredulity in his voice. “You’re sitting here on my flagship! You’ve proven yourself as guilty!”

“They will be,” Obi-Wan nodded. “When we get back, we’ll take them before the Council.”

‘ _Kriff_ ,’ Luke spoke through their bond. ‘ _I don't want to talk to the Jedi Council!_ ’

Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ‘ _What are those old goons going to do? Expel us? We aren't Jedi!'_

‘ _What if they figure it out?_ ’

‘ _They won’t!’_

‘ _How’d you know?’_

‘ _Because we snuck around the Temple undetected just this morning! If they had been able to sense our Force abilities, we wouldn’t be here now.’_

Luke had to admit she was right.

“One thing I want answered,” Anakin continued to glare. “How did you manage to get out this room?”

Luke looked at his Dad like’d grown two heads. “Through the door, duh.”

“Rex locked it.” Anakin looked pleased to have caught them out on something. It was like a lawyer managing to catch the person on the stand in a lie. From the briefest look of guilt that passed on the twins' faces, he knew they'd walked themselves into a hole.

Leia gulped, “He must’ve forgotten.”

Their father didn’t lose eye contact as he raised the wrist his comlink was attached to. He pressed a button and only looked away when Rex’s top half of his body and head appeared on the screen. Even though Leia had only met 3 Clones personally, she was already starting to distinguish the differences between them. Rex seemed slightly older than Fives and Tup and he was bald compared to the other's full head of hair.

“Rex,” Anakin nodded in greeting. “Did you lock the door when you left the children in my quarters?”

' _Children'_ , Leia sounded offended as she made her displeasure known to Luke through their bond. ' _We are not children! We're 15, for Star's sake!'_

_'Shh!'_

“Yes sir.”

“You’re 100% sure?”

“Of course sir, is there a problem?”

“No problem at all Rex, thank you,” he ended the call, turning back to the twins. “Try again, kiddos.”

Leia blinked, trying to think of a lie and fast. “We picked the lock.”

Anakin hummed, walking over to the door and pretending to examine it. “That’s crafty considering there is no lock.”

‘ _You walked into that one,_ ' even Luke couldn't defend his sister, knowing the jig was up.

“You’re Force sensitive,” the realisation dawned on Obi-Wan like a light switching on. Both twins gulped, slamming their shields up even higher— how had he been able to tell?

“No,” Luke shook his head so fast he started to get dizzy.

“There’s no other explanation,” Obi-Wan looked intrigued. “How else would you have evaded Senator Amidala’s security and broken into her apartment undetected? _And_ sneak around the Temple! _And_ break out of a room locked from the outside!”

“I sense no Force presences from either of you,” Anakin had his eyes closed. The twins could feel him probing around, trying to touch their shields but they refused to yield.

“You’re untrained,” Obi-Wan looked down at them with a passive explanation.

“How does that explain—“

“Extremely strong mental shields, am I correct?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “You were taught well.”

‘ _Look at Obi-Wan complimenting himself_ ’, Luke teased.

‘ _Always so self involved,_ ’ Leia joked back.

‘ _Well, they know now. We can't deny it_.’

“Yeah we’re Force sensitive,” Luke nodded. His eyes flashed between Anakin and Obi-Wan. “You haven’t recorded that confession, have you? Promise you won’t use it against me in court or something?”

“It is not illegal to have capabilities in the Force Luke. I can’t sense your presence but I can guess you’re very strong. I’m surprised the Jedi have never found you.”

“Our guardian taught us how to hide our abilities,” Leia spoke honestly. “I guess he never wanted to lose us.” Again, not a lie. Everything Obi-Wan had done had been to keep Luke and Leia safe. What little training they'd been given had all been about self-defence and helping them to hide from Vader and the Emperor.

“That’s cruel,” Anakin sounded shocked. “You have so much raw potential but your guardian stole your birthright from you.”

“He did it so we could stay and be a family. I would honestly prefer the life of an untrained girl to a heartless Jedi!”

“Jedi are not heartless,” Obi-Wan sounded perplexed at her statement. "We're peacekeepers."

“That's funny, considering you're fighting in a war. And are you allowed to love?” Leia pointed out. When no answer came she nodded. “There you go.”

“You will be trained,” Anakin frowned. “It’s the will of the Force.”

“What if we refuse?” Luke’s voice was soft, too quiet for Leia’s liking. She thought about Sith Luke in her nightmares and how twisted he’d become, twirling his lightsaber around like he were hunting his prey. Luke had always embraced his Force abilities more than Leia had but they'd never been forced to join a side before.

“Let’s leave this conversation for the Council,” Obi-Wan changed the subject. “There is no point right now.”

“Very well,” Anakin nodded. “I suggest you two go to bed so you stay out of trouble.”

Leia had been about to argue when the flagship suddenly lurched, a loud bang rattling through the ship and making everyone stumble. Both twins fell off the bed as Anakin and Obi-Wan fell into the wall.

“We’re being attacked!” Obi-Wan sounded serious, his eyes wide as he took off at a run out of the room. The sound of a blaring alarm drifted through the corridor, Clones rushing past yelling.

“Stay here!” Anakin pointed to the bed as the twins stood up. “I mean it, this is dangerous and you can be killed! I don’t exactly want Senator Amidala to ream me out for your recklessness. I’ll come back when it is safe.” With that their father ran out, following Obi-Wan.

“No fair,” Luke plopped himself on the bed, frowning. “We always get left out of the fun.”

“We don’t have to be,” Leia smirked, pointing to their mother’s blaster on her belt. “I don’t know about you but I have perfect marksmanship.”

“As cool as that sounds Leia,” her brother sighed. “I don’t fancy our father hating us more than he already does.”

Leia weighed the argument out in her head before defeating. “Fine.” She sat down next to her brother, the sounds of people yelling and blaster’s firing echoing into the room. It seemed some of the battle droids from the Separatist army had managed to get aboard the ship.

They sat there for a few minutes in silence before Leia decided to break it. “Hey Luke, what do you call Jabba the Hutt in a blonde wig?”

Her brother hummed.

“You.”

“Very funny,” Luke gave her an unimpressed look as Leia giggled, the battle outside their door ignored for a second. Sitting out of the fight was not something either one of them were familiar with. Not getting involved felt foreign and wrong but they understood that it wasn't their place to meddle.

“Come on,” Leia nudged him. “It’s funny!”

“It's mean!”

“It’s funny _because_ it’s mean!”

Luke opened his mouth to reply when the door opened, their eyes widening as two droids walked in. They were slender and tall, made out of a dark yellow metal with slender heads. The twins instantly recognised them as a Separatist droids.

“Uh,” the two droids looked startled as they spotted the twins in the room. Both gun were raised as the first spoke into a comm. “General, we’ve found two hostages on the ship.”

The crackly and deep voice of General Grievous spoke back. “What kind of hostages?” Leia cringed at how gross he sounded, like’d been smoking through ten packs of Death-sticks a day.

“Uh, a girl and boy, sir.”

“Bring them to me!”

“Roger! Roger!”

The droids stepped further into the room. “Put your hands up and come with us! We’ll shoot!”

“Very well,” Leia raised her hands, getting off the bed slowly. Luke followed suit.

“Move scum!” One of the droids pointed to the door.

‘ _On the count of three_ ,’ Leia whispered through their bond. ‘ _One, two, three_!’

Both twins reached for the blasters attached to their belts, ducking to the side as the Separatist droids shot at them. Two seconds later and the droids were laying on the floor motionless, both twins blasters smoking.

“Good shot,” Luke looked proud as he inspected the droids. Leia’s had gone straight through the heart whilst Luke had hit the stomach. “Let’s take these,” he grabbed the guns off the dead droids, putting his mother’s blaster back on his belt.

“You know,” Leia copied his actions. “I won’t lie when I say I believe in external signs. I think this might’ve been a sign that we get off our asses and help fight.”

Luke looked around the plain room, thinking back to how bored he’d been a minute ago. “I think you’re right— the Force is trying to tell us something.”

“Let’s go,” Leia chuckled, following the sound of blaster fire and shouts down the corridor. They shot as many droids as they could on their way, never hesitating for a second.

Despite being a Princess for a pacifist planet, Bail had made sure Leia knew her way around a blaster. He’d said something about it being a handy skill, having invested hours and money for tutors to come in and perfect her marksmanship. After 5 years of practising, Leia was practically a pro by now.

Unlike his sister, Luke was not as experienced with a blaster. He’d been too young for Obi-Wan to even consider letting the twins nears weapons when they’d lived on Naboo and having moved to a backwater planet, there had been no real reason for operating a blaster. Yet Uncle Owen had taught his nephew how to shoot, always using the excuse of if the boy ever came face to face with Tusken Raiders. He’d not taught Luke much nor let him slack on chores to practise but he’d taught him all the same. Luke was happy about that now considering Vader hadn’t let him near weapons either.

“What are you two doing?” A voice yelled behind them when the twins joined the main fight, shooting droids left, right and centre. The Clone who’d yelled at them stepped forward, ducking when a shot came towards his head. Leia noticed a 5 written on his helmet.

“Fives!” She smiled, pausing for a second. “Hey!”

“I said what are you two doing?” Fives repeated, shooting down three droids in two seconds.

“What’s it look like?” Luke yelled, ducking a few times before firing at the droid focusing on him.

“Are you meant to be here?”

“Were we meant to be here at all?” Leia pointed out, joining the others as they ran down another corridor when all the droids were shot down.

“I don’t like this,” Fives growled, right on the twins trails. “Stick with me and don’t get hurt!”

“Roger! Roger!” Luke mocked, shooting two droids when one was stood behind the other. “Two for one— would you look at that!”

“What’s going on here?” Rex’s voice yelled over the commotion, holding two blasters in his hands as he shot down the remaining droids in that corridor. The twins could feel his shock— and then his anger— at seeing them. “What are you doing here?”

“I had nothing to do with this Captain!” Fives held up his hands in a sign of peace.

“Go join the others,” Rex ordered. “The Clankers are almost finished with— General Kenobi believes the Separatists were unaware so many Jedi were onboard this flagship when they attacked. They were trying to steal the supplies.”

“On it sir,” Fives nodded, running off to join the rest of the fighting.

“We should probably go,” Leia suggested, itching to join back in when the echo of blaster fire sounded in the air.

“Go back to General Skywalker’s quarters!” Rex boomed, his displeasure loud and clear. “That’s an order!”

“We aren’t Clones,” Leia frowned, crossing her arms. “You can’t order us around!”

“You’re putting yourselves in danger!”

“Hey, we were the ones attacked by two droids when we were chilling in those quarters!” Luke added. “We’re probably safer out here than in a small space we can’t escape from!”

“When General Skywalker finds out about this,” Rex growled. “He is not going to be pleased.”

“When is he ever pleased with what we do?” Leia sighed.

“Anyway,” Luke smirked. “I think—“ he paused, sensing something before it happened. “Rex, look out!” A blaster fire from a droid hiding behind the corner came heading towards Rex. It would’ve hit him straight in the gut if Luke hadn’t pushed him out the way.

“Luke!” Leia screamed, shooting down the droid before falling to the floor beside her brother. She could feel the echo of his pain, a small hole burning straight through his tunic to his bicep. Her brother groaned, having stirred from unconsciousness.

“Ow,” he mumbled, biting his lip. _Getting shot hurt!_ It felt like tiny daggers stabbing at his arm, a fire burning as the pain continued to grow. He bit his lip so couldn’t scream.

Rex kneeled down, grabbing the hem of Luke’s tunic and ripping it so he could wrap a makeshift bandage around the boy’s wound. “That was idiotic,” he grumbled.

“No thanks necessary.”

“That droid could’ve killed you!”

“No,” Luke shook his head. “It would’ve killed _YOU_!”

“You should care more about your own life!”

“What and let you die!” Luke sounded shocked. “No! All life matters.”

Rex paused for a second, having finished bandaging Luke’s bicep. He seemed to be at a loss for words. “Thank you. I owe you my life.”

Luke smiled, waving him off with his good arm. “It’s water under the bridge, Captain.”

The twins couldn't see his face but they could feel his gratitude as his dislike for them eased. “Please, call me Rex.”

“Okay, Rex.”

“Can I call you Rex?” Leia teased, helping her brother up. She brushed away a few stray tears— if Luke wasn’t crying then she wouldn’t either. For a second, she’d actually believed he’d died.

“No.”

“Spoil sport,” Leia stuck out her tongue.

“Come on,” Rex gestured for the twins to follow him. “It sounds like the Clankers are finished.” The twins listened out, all sounds of blaster fire having come to an end. They rounded a few corners before they came face to face with a bunch of other Clones, including Fives, and the Jedi.

“Oh no, no, no,” Anakin’s expression grew dark. “You did not disobey me!”

“A droid came into your room!” Leia argued. “We had no choice!”

“You could’ve stayed where you were!”

“If droids went in before, more would’ve come after!”

Anakin paused, taking a second to calm himself. Breathe in, breathe out, he remembered Obi-Wan's teachings. Why had he actually believed Luke and Leia would do as he'd asked? Perhaps he shouldn't sent one of the Clones to watch them? His fists clenched as he tried to release all his anger when Obi-Wan spoke up. 

“You’re hurt.”

Anakin's eyes snapped back to the twins, realising Obi-Wan was talking about the bleeding bandage on Luke’s arm. A feeling cold like anger yet more like worry grew inside him. _Luke had been hurt!_ The sight of the boy’s bleeding arm had the Jedi want to cry and break something all at the same time.

Why was he feeling this way? He’d seen Ahsoka get hurt before and whilst, yes, that fact had hurt and the worry had been overwhelming, he’d come to accept injuries were expected at war time. But with Luke hurt right now, Anakin felt the urge to call Dooku and end this war face to face that very second. He felt the need to pull the boy into his hold and never let him get hurt again.

“The boy pushed me out of the way of a shot that would’ve killed me, sir,” Rex’s gratitude was clear in his voice. He pulled off his helmet, placing a hand on Luke’s good shoulder. Everyone could see the warmth in the Captain’s eyes as he regarded the teen. His eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled tightly at Luke. “He’s a hero.”

Luke blushed, suddenly shy. “I don’t know about that—“

“You saved our Captain’s life!” Fives stepped forward, clapping Luke on the back. He winced when Luke let out a moan of pain. “Sorry kid.”

“It was pretty cool,” Leia nodded, the anxiety that had been coursing through her veins a second go disappearing. Luke was fine, she reminded herself. 

“Well congratulations Luke,” Obi-Wan nodded. “You deserve the highest praise.”

Luke blushed even more. He tried to not let on how much Obi-Wan's words meant to him. It had been 5 years since he'd seen the man and yet Obi-Wan's praise was still something he sought after like a parched man would scour for hydration. All he had ever wanted was to make Obi-Wan proud.

Anakin didn’t know what to feel. Pride bloomed in his chest at Luke’s heroics, it was clear the boy had a heart of gold. He'd only known Luke for less than a day yet he knew there wasn't a selfish bone in his body. And despite it all, Anakin really was proud yet, for reasons he couldn't fathom, he couldn’t shake off the overwhelming need to wrap Luke up in bubble wrap and keep him safe for the rest of his life. He’d only just met the twins and suddenly Anakin was hit with the realisation that if anything happened to them, he’d never truly recover. Was this how Padme felt? Was this why she wanted to keep them around?

“Come on Luke,” Ahsoka stepped forward, a smile on her face. She too had a graze on her arm but it wasn’t anything more serious than that. “Let’s take you to the medbay.”

“He’s a good kid,” Obi-Wan murmured as he watched the twins leave with Ahsoka. “They both are.”

Anakin just nodded, not knowing what else to say. Why did he feel so attached to these kids already?


	11. Love and Healers

“That feels better,” Luke smiled when the bacta-patch was placed over his wound, the cooling sensation making the burning pain disappear. “Ah.”

Leia rolled her eyes at her brother’s words, crossing her legs as she sat on the end of his medical bed, by his feet. “I bet it didn’t even hurt, you’re doing all this for dramatics.”

“How about I shoot you and then you tell me i’m being dramatic!” Luke shot back.

“Getting shot hurts,” Ahsoka nodded. “I remember the first time I was shot, I passed out because it was so bad.”

“How old were you?” Leia breathed, hoping she hadn't been too young. She was only a year younger than Ahsoka but Leia could never fathom getting shot.

“14.”

“Kriff,” her eyes widened. “That’s younger than us! What happened?”

Ahsoka shrugged like it was no big deal. As if a _child_ getting shot was something that happened often. “Same old story; we were fighting on some planet I can’t even remember the name of— a droid got too close and shot me straight through the shoulder. I passed out and woke up in the med-bay two days later. Master Skywalker was beside himself.”

“That’s horrible,” Luke shook his head. “And traumatising.” This was his first brush with anything serious injury-wise but he couldn't imagine being put in the same situation where he could be hurt again and again, like Ahsoka had been for most of her adolescence.

Ahsoka didn’t seem affected. “This is War— injuries are unavoidable. Master Skywalker says we have to just get up and keep going.”

“But you're a kid.” War and children were something that should never mix and yet here the Jedi were, sending a 16 year old into battle and calling it _training_.

“I’m 16,” Ahsoka chuckled, as if Leia had just told a not very insightful joke.

“And i’m 15,” Leia shot back. “You don’t see me pretending i’m an adult— no matter how much I want to be.”

“This is War,” Ahsoka spoke like it was so black and white. “Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.”

“Your _childhood_ shouldn’t be a sacrifice!”

Leia was suddenly very grateful for Obi-Wan having taken her and Luke into hiding for those first 10 years of their lives. With the Civil war of the Empire versus Rebellion growing every second, the twins had never been involved— despite having a power both sides would’ve found useful. Obi-Wan had allowed for them to be children, doing nothing but play and keep their innocence for as long as possible. Even after being adopted by Bail as a Princess, Leia had never faced a war-zone nor gone anywhere near it. One day soon (or what would've been soon if they hadn't time travelled), Leia would've joined the Rebellion and faced danger like Ahsoka did but for the time being, she'd been very sheltered. 

Ahsoka had been robbed of that.

Leia suddenly saw more to the girl she’d been holding a dislike for. Ahsoka still had everything Leia craved: Padme, Anakin, Obi-Wan . . . but there was also much Leia had that Ahsoka didn’t: a childhood, people who openly loved her and a sense of security. She wasn’t simply Ahsoka Tano: Anakin Skywalker’s Apprentice, Snips, a war hero. She was a child who’d been traumatised beyond repair by getting thrown into life and death situations at such a young age.

Ahsoka would never know what it would be like to play under the warm sun with no expectations riding on her back. She'd never know what it's like to sleep til noon and spend the day in her pyjamas like a normal child. Or to go to school and laugh with friends. Or to bake all day and munch on home-made snacks. All of the little things which Leia had taken for granted in her childhood were things that had been stolen from Ahsoka.

“I’m sorry if i’ve been harsh in the past Ahsoka,” Leia pushed away all her old jealousies as she spoke. Sure, a nagging feeling would always tug at her whenever Anakin threw an arm around the girl and whenever Padme hugged her but Leia promised herself to be better than that. Ahsoka didn’t know who Leia was, she didn’t know what her everyday life and normal relationships were doing to the orphaned girl.

(And Leia had the suspicion that if Ahsoka _did_ know, she would never rub it in Leia's face.)

“I fear i’ve been mean,” Leia carried on with all the poise of a Princess. She kept her back straight and face calm as she tried to remember how Bail would keep his dignity every time he offered someone an apology. “And argumentative. In all honesty, I would like it if we could become friends.”

Ahsoka paused, not expecting that. “Friends,” she mumbled before a smile crossed her face. “I would love that, Leia.”

“We’ve always been friends, right ‘Soka,” Luke joked as he poked at his bacta-patch.

Ahsoka laughed, “Of course.”

The doors slid open and Anakin walked in, looking slightly awkward to have interrupted the sweet moment. “Uh Snips, Obi-Wan wants you.”

“On my way,” she couldn’t help smiling even as she left the room. Something made her so pleased to be friends with the Benjamin twins. There were little things about them that reminded her of her Master and with Anakin being one of her best friends, she was glad to have a good relationship with those who reminded her of him.

“How’re you feeling?” Anakin stepped closer, examining Luke with his eyes. The boy seemed to be in good spirits and no pain at all. The bacta-patch on his wound explained why.

“Good,” Luke nodded, sitting up. “It doesn’t hurt now which is great!”

“Luke was being a crybaby earlier,” Leia teased. “Crying all over the place; claiming they were going to chop his arm off.”

“Was not!”

“Was too!”

“Was no—“

“Okay, cool it,” Anakin raised a hand, feeling like someone who’d aged 10 years in the last second. Why did it feel like second nature to break up their argument? “You guys going to explain why you disobeyed me?” He forced himself to remain calm; from past experience he'd learnt that arguing with Leia and Luke got them nowhere.

“We told you,” Leia frowned. “Two droids came into your quarters and threatened to take us as hostages. We shot them down and didn’t want to stay in case more came.”

“Where did you learn to shoot?”

The twins paused. “Our guardian taught us,” Luke tried to sound convincing.

“I'm very interested in who this guardian was," Anakin frowned. "They must've been Force sensitive if they were able to train you. And then to teach you how to shoot. . . it seems rather suspicious."

Leia shrugged, "I see it as teaching us the basics."

Anakin looked like he wanted to continue on but let it go at the last moment. "Nevertheless, what you did was very brave Luke,” Anakin nodded. “And stupid.”

“That’s Luke for you,” Leia rolled her eyes. “A stupid hero.”

“Seriously,” Anakin refused to get this brushed off. He wanted them to understand the severity of what could have happened. “You could’ve died.”

“But I didn’t!” That petulant tone was back.

“Luke!” He didn’t mean to yell and the second he did, Anakin regretted it. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled. I just need you to know that your life isn’t expendable, you should be more careful. And if you had died as a civilian on a Republic cruiser then the media would've had a field day. Force knows, the Jedi are getting enough hate as it is.”

“I understand,” Luke nodded. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You didn’t wor—“ Anakin was about to deny it when he realised there was no point. It was clear that he’d been worried and upset when he’d discovered the twins had disobeyed him and Luke had gotten hurt. “It’s fine.”

“You care about us: I can tell,” Leia teased, a smirk on her face. She looked so much like his mother for a second that Anakin almost took a step back. A memory of his mother from his childhood filled his mind's eye, her hands gentle as they brushed blonde hair out of his eyes. " _You need to go to sleep now, Ani_ ," her voice had been soft. " _But I'm not tired; I'm too big_ ," his voice had been young and drowned out by yawns. The same teasing smirk that was on Leia's face had graced Shmi's as she'd looked down on her young son with so much love it had made Anakin's heart ache. " _Ah of course not! But even big boy's need to rest._ "

That image of his mother disappeared, her teasing smile turning into a broken one as her face morphed into one of pain, bruises and cuts littering her skin. _"I l-love . . ."_ She whispered before her hand fell down to her side and her eyes turned glassy. Anakin clenched his hands into fists, trying to dispel that image from his mind.

It took him a second to recover but he forced himself to calm down, clearing his throat to avoid detection of his swirling emotions. “Believe your lies if you must.”

“You care about us,” Leia teased more. “You were worried.”

An overwhelming need to end this conversation filled Anakin's bones. “Whatever, you’re still in trouble.”

Luke made an outrageous sound. “I almost die and you still won’t let me off the hook!”

“Oh so when I tell you to be more careful, you claim it was no big deal but when you don’t want to be in trouble, you claim to almost die. I see what’s going on. It's a conspiracy."

“Let the dying boy off!” Leia joined in.

“Fine, Luke’s not in trouble but you are,” Anakin pointed at the girl.

She shook her head. “Twin benefits means we’re either both in trouble or neither is.”

Anakin rolled his eyes; Leia seemed to have an answer for everything. She reminded him of Padme in that respect. “Then you’re both going down.” The twins groaned. “Hey, don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”

They went silent for a second before Luke spoke up, somewhat nervously. “Are you really going to make us join the Jedi?”

“Join the Jedi— who said that?”

“You and Obi-Wan,” Luke frowned, fidgeting with the hem of his tunic. “You said you were going to take us to the Council.”

“Taking you to the Council doesn’t mean you’ll become a Jedi,” Anakin sighed. “Truthfully, you’re probably too old for them to even want you. I was 9 when I came to the Temple and Obi-Wan had to force the Council to accept me.”

“Why?”

“The Jedi philosophy focuses on no attachments— if a child is raised from infancy at the Temple then all they’d know is the life of Jedi philosophy and no attachment. At 9 I already had strong attachments to my mother and friends. I knew what it was like to love and be loved and that made me dangerous.”

“Why?”

“Because I threatened the Jedi philosophy. They believed I wouldn't be able to let go.”

“Don’t you miss it?” Leia’s voice was sad. She’d been separated from Obi-Wan and Luke for 5 years— a time of her life that felt so dark and alone— and missing them had been so painful. She had no idea how her father could go from having family to accepting a life where he refused any sort of attachment and love (although he hadn’t really considering he’d married their mother-- Leia could understand the Council's hesitation now).

“Miss what?”

“Having a family,” Leia kept her voice low. She could see something most didn’t in Anakin Skywalker: pain. He was just a man with a heart so big he wanted to share it (and he had but he wasn’t allowed to publicise that). Leia had never understood the Jedi rule of no attachments.

When she’d been younger and Obi-Wan had explained the Jedi philosophy, she’d asked him why the Jedi refused such things like love and attachment. Her guardian had just claimed that that had been what the Jedi believed in. As simple as that. Leia and Luke had gone to bed sad that night, hardly able to sleep. After all, Obi-Wan had been a Jedi— the twins had concluded that meant he didn’t love them for he'd been a Jedi and he'd once abided that rule.

Obi-Wan had found out about their worries only 2 days later when Luke had broken down about it, the thought that the man who’d been like their father not loving them being too much to bear. The former Jedi had simply pulled the twins into his lap and said: _“I was a Jedi, yes, and all my life I stuck to their rules and followed their philosophies. There were many times I was conflicted and I almost left the Order when i’d been young to pursue an attachment i’d been forbidden to have. But I stayed and I did my part in the Order, being the best Jedi I could be.”_

“ _And not forming any attachments_?” Luke had cried, rejection having filled him like a poison.

“ _And not forming attachments,_ ” Obi-Wan nodded. “ _Until . . . your father. When I took your Dad in as my Padawan, I had no idea what was going to happen or how I was going to feel. I loved him despite everything i’d been taught and all those years of being the perfect Jedi were broken because I looked at your Dad and I knew if it came down to it: between him or the Order, I would’ve chosen him. Every time it was him. He was the son I knew I could never claim, the brother I couldn’t live without and the friend who meant so much to me._

_I broke the Order by loving him and i’m breaking it now by loving you.”_

Leia held that memory close to her heart.

Anakin looked conflicted, like he wasn’t sure if he should answer or not. But the twins knew the answer already. It was yes— it was always yes.

“Aspects, sure,” Anakin cleared his throat. He missed the way family made him feel safe. It had just been him and his mother and they hadn’t lived a very happy or safe existence but when it had just been them, the sandstorm storming outside so there was nothing to do but cuddle for warmth and tell each other jokes, Anakin had felt like nothing could hurt them. The feeling was replicated when he was with Padme but the fact that he had to hide their relationship made that feeling of security feel like it could break at any given moment.

“Uh, I should go back to the bridge,” Anakin mumbled, seeming a bit dazed. “You should sleep, it’s been a long day. I’ll come wake you when it’s time to leave.”

“Leave?”

“After the incident with today,” Anakin’s eyes shot to Luke’s wounded shoulder. “I believe it is best that civilians are not on a Republic flagship. I’ll be returning you to Coruscant.” He nodded shortly before walking to the door.

“Bye,” Leia and Luke said in sync as they watched their father leave.

“You broke him,” Luke sighed, looking sad. “What do you think he would’ve said if i’d told him that we were his family?"

Leia bit her lip, “We aren’t really a family. I'd never even met the man before yesterday and I hate Vader."

"Vader is our father," Luke knew they were delving into an argument they'd had for years. It was pointless, really, they would never see eye-to-eye.

"No," Leia shook her head like Luke had just personally insulted her. "I refuse to be that monster's daughter."

"Anakin Skywalker was a good man who made bad mistakes. You're the daughter of both the Jedi and the Sith."

" _Bad mistakes_?" Leia looked at her brother like he'd lost braincells. "You call murdering thousands and having no remorse for his actions as bad mistakes? Vader walked into the Jedi Temple and slaughtered _children_! He kills his own men for the slightest of mistakes and if you had ever trained to be a Jedi, he would not have hesitated to kill you too-- regardless of if he knew you were his son or not."

Luke shook his head, refusing to believe it. He'd always known Leia saw things as black and white where he tended to look for the shades of grey in a situation. "He wouldn't have. He _couldn't_ have! You didn't know him! I see the similarities between Vader and Anakin! They're the same man; the hero that you worship, the man who just left this room, is the same man who you hate. Vader was twisted by the Emperor and he's done countless things that Anakin Skywalker would never, I admit, but Vader and Anakin are one and the same."

"I don't want to be the daughter of a monster," Leia's words were quiet and filled with insecurity and contempt. Everything about her birth father was shrouded by conflicting feelings; she loved the man he used to be and hated the man he'd become. The idea that the hero from Obi-Wan's stories truly was the murderer she feared was almost too much to handle. How could she accept that they were the same man when they acted so different from each other?

"If we succeed in changing the past then hopefully that monster never exists," Luke whispered back, his eyes staring at the door where Anakin had left. He loved his father, whether he was the Jedi or the Sith. He knew what Vader did was wrong and despicable but underneath all the horror, Luke knew Anakin lived. The Emperor hadn't managed to completely kill all the good. Luke knew it in his heart.

' _What kind of parent do you think Mom would be like?_ ' Leia sat down on the end of Luke's medical bed, staring up at the ceiling as they rested. Luke smiled to himself now that they were out of the uncomfortable topics of Vader and back to their tradition of daydreaming about Padme.

' _I bet she'd have been the sort of Mom who was so affectionate, always pulling us in for a cuddle and kissing our cheeks. But I bet she'd also have no time for any of our bantha poodoo and wouldn't hesitate to ground us if we caused any trouble.'_

Leia laughed, closing her eyes as she tried to think of what life would be like if they succeeded in changing the past. The last thing she heard before drifting off to sleep was Luke's quiet promise of " _We will._ "


	12. A Normal Day in the Skywalker Household

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a warning, there is some mild descriptions of violence at the start. It isn't very graphic but there are mentions of blood and gore which could be seen as disturbing so please take care. :)

_“You should’ve joined me when given the chance,” Sith Luke stood over Leia, eyes glowing yellow as a sadistic smirk grew on his face. “You will pay for that mistake now.”_

_“Luke,” dream Leia sounded like she was in pain, tears rolling down her eyes. She could feel the faintest echo of her leg searing with pain. It seemed her brother had managed to best her. “Don’t do this. Come back to me.”_

_Her brother ignored her, staring down at her with no emotion as he raised his red lightsaber. He was going to kill her. Leia could hardly process the fact that if they hadn’t time travelled, this would’ve been how her life ended up._

_“Say hello to Mother and Father,” Luke snarled, holding his lightsaber above his head as he prepared to bring it down in one swift movement to stab his sister in the stomach. There was no trace of Luke Skywalker written anywhere across this monster’s face. The happy smile was gone, the purest blue eyes replaced by yellow and the dark shadow that was now Luke’s face was not the brother she loved._

_Leia screamed in anguish, pushing her hand out to send a wave of the Force in Luke's direction. Luke was momentarily unbalanced and Leia took the opportunity to kick her leg out, sending him falling to the floor. The lightsaber in her hand seemed heavy as Leia once again battled her brother, the both of them fighting as equals._

_For the first time, Leia actually looked at the weapon she was holding. It was her father's lightsaber. She could remember it clearly from her youth, Obi-Wan having treasured it over all other possessions and she remembered Anakin from the past having it clipped to his best. For some reason, the lightsaber felt right in her hands, like it knew she was it's master's daughter and it gave her strength to continue the fight._

_"Why did you let yourself become twisted like this?" Leia had to fight the tears that welled in her eyes. She couldn't afford to lose focus, especially with the way Luke's blows were gaining momentum and strength. He was channelling all his anger into every swing of his blade. "Why did you let the Emperor defile you after you saw what he did to our father?"_

_"He showed me my true power!" Luke snarled._

_"He showed you the Dark Side-- that's not your true power!" And then Leia saw it: a small opening. Luke's attacks were becoming unpredictable and lazy, his anger and hatred driving him forward to swing his lightsaber without any thought on his defences. All he wanted to do was kill Leia and he was letting his guard down as he did so._

_It was like someone else possessed her body as Leia took the only chance she knew she'd get. She ducked to avoid Luke's violent parry, using the Force to once again make him stumble before swinging her own blade around and bringing it through her brother's lacking defences. The lightsaber went straight through his chest. Distantly, Leia wondered if this had been how Obi-Wan had felt when he'd cut off Vader's limbs, believing he would die._

_Leia caught Luke's falling body before he managed to crumple to the ground. She had no idea where they were for it was too dark to see but despite the darkness, her brother's face was clear to her. His yellow eyes slowly ebbed back to blue and a trickle of blood ran from his mouth, down his cheek. "Leia," he stuttered slowly, "I'm sorry."_

_Panic gripped her, like in a choke hold as she cradled her brother as close to her as she could. Her hand pressed down on the wound where her lightsaber had fatally injured him. This was her fault. This was her doing. The rational part of her brain reminded her why she'd done it; Luke had been about to kill her and he'd committed so much evil the past few months, his threat had needed to be stopped. But the sentimental part of her cried out, agonising on how she'd been able to kill her brother. She'd killed her twin._

_"No Luke, I'm so sorry! You're going to be okay, okay?" Tears were streaming down her face as she held onto the blind hope of her words. "You're going to be okay! Han will be here soon and then he'll help me take you to the medical ship! Just hold on, okay?"_

_Even in pain, Luke offered her a comforting smile. His breathing grew wheezy and Leia hated every action and decision that had brought them here. She hated Shmi Skywalker for giving birth to a son all those decades ago on Tatooine. She hated the Jedi for finding their father and for her mother falling in love with him. She hated the fact that she'd been born and that Anakin had turned and that Luke was dying in her arms right now._

_"Hold on Luke," Leia begged, even though she knew it was too late. Luke's eyes were so distant and his breathing was slowing down. "Stay with me, I can't lose you too!"_

_"I'll tell Mom and Dad you said hi," Luke's words were jagged and Leia bowed her head to rest on his forehead when she felt his presence disappear into the Force. Her forehead fell forwards slightly and Leia's breath hitched when she opened her eyes to see all that was left was her brother's dark tunic in her hands._

_Luke was gone._

“Leia! Get up!” Anakin broke her from her nightmare, his hand on her shoulder as he gently shook her awake. “It’s time to go, come on.”

She sat up, watching as Anakin moved down the other end of the bed and woke up Luke the same way. Leia felt her breath hitch as her eyes took in the sight of Luke fast asleep, despite Anakin's efforts to wake him. Her brother was alive. That terrible nightmare or vision or whatever the hell it was, would never come to pass. Luke wouldn't turn to the Dark Side if their father didn't and Leia was determined to not let that happen.

“Five more minutes,” Luke grumbled, batting Anakin’s hand away.

“No Luke,” their father sighed. “Get up, now.”

“Stop being so mean Dad,” Luke rolled over, still stuck in his sleepy state of not understanding what he’d just said. “Lemme sleep.”

Anakin froze, eyes widening as he watched Luke like someone had just handed him a bomb and ran off. _Dad_? He knew it wasn’t supposed to be aimed at him, the boy was probably oblivious to his surroundings and who was actually talking to him right now. Despite that, he couldn’t help the warmth that grew in his chest as he looked down at the sleeping teenager.

“He didn’t mean it,” Leia’s eyes were just as wide. If she hadn’t just dreamt of Luke’s death she would’ve kicked him by now.

“I know,” Anakin nodded, trying to push away the happy emotions circling his heart. “Can you help me?”

Leia climbed off her end of the bed, walking over to the sink so she could fill up a glass of water. She took a few sips as she approached Luke’s sleeping form so not to draw suspicion of what she was going to do before she threw the liquid on her brother.

Immediately, Luke shot up, wincing as he managed to hurt his wounded arm. His eyes were wide and his mouth was wide, breathing heavily like he’d just been attacked. “Wha-wha-what happened? Leia?” He spotted the empty cup in her hand. “You’re so dead!”

He tried to lunge at her but Anakin stepped in the middle, using one hand to stop Luke from crushing his sister alive.

“No fighting!”

“She threw water at me!” Luke yelled, pointing to his soaked hair and the droplets running down his face.

“It woke you up, didn’t it?” Leia put her hands on her hips and teased.

“I honestly can’t deal with this so early in the morning,” Anakin put his hands up, moving towards the door again. “We’re leaving in 15 so get yourselves ready. I won’t be waiting for you.”

In the end he did wait. For an hour and a half.

It felt like it took forever to get Luke and Leia strapped into a smaller shuttle than the one they’d snuck aboard, for they’d whined about not being able to say goodbye to the new friends they’d made. Anakin had argued that his men were far too busy but the twins had just stormed off, demanding they say their goodbyes to Fives, Tup and Rex.

( _"I hope you two don't cause our General too much stress," Fives had joked as they'd said goodbye. "We don't want him going grey prematurely, do we?" Anakin had let out an indignant "hey!" at the Clone's comment._

_"Don't terrorise General Skywalker on your way back," Tup had pretended to act strict but once Anakin's back had turned, he'd elbowed the twins with a cheeky smirk. "Although if you really want to see him squirm, bring up sand. It always sets him on edge." Leia and Luke had cackled at his words, refusing to answer their father when he'd demanded to find out what was so funny._

_Even Rex had offered his final two cents as he'd smiled warmly at the twins and wished them well. It was a far cry from the suspicious glares he'd been sending their way when they'd first arrived._ )

“Getting you two to leave somewhere on time is like trying to herd Banthas into a pen,” Anakin sighed as the shuttle started and they began their short journey back to Coruscant. Luke felt a sense of deja vu, having been flown around many times by Vader in his present time. It felt like a nice change that Leia was there too.

“It’s all part of the charm,” Luke teased, yawning as he laid his head against the back of the seat. He wondered if his father would mind if he used one of his Jedi cloaks as a blanket; Vader always got tetchy whenever Luke laid one of his capes over his body to keep warm when they travelled.

“Are you taking us to the Jedi Council first?” Leia couldn’t hide her nervousness.

“No, I would prefer Obi-Wan be there. So we’ll see the Council in a few days when he returns.”

“Are you taking us back to Senator Amidala?” Luke shuffled in his seat. “Or are we going to RCS?”

“RCS?!” Leia’s eyes grew wide and started to tug at her seat restraints. “Oh no, no, no— no way am I going there! Get me out of here!”

“Leia!” Anakin released one hand off the controls to point at her and frown. “Calm down! Where are you expecting to run to? No, you’re not going to RCS. Senator Amidala has graciously accepted to keep you in her company.” He didn't add his own query as to why his wife had agreed to take Luke and Leia back in. Surely now, with all the trouble the twins had caused, it would be sensible to send them on their way. He didn't know why he felt so guilty at that thought.

“Thank the Force for that!” Leia sighed, her heart no longer racing. She hadn’t left the life of a Princess behind to be thrown into a government run institution. From stories she'd heard, Imperial Child Services was a rather unpleasant place to live and whilst the Republic was far fairer than the Empire, she doubted that one brand of the government had been changed very much when the war came to an end.

“You should treat Senator Amidala with upmost respect, she’s really putting herself out there to look after you.”

“Is that what you do?” Luke smirked, unable to resist himself. “You show her the upmost respect?”

Leia snickered, her hand coming up to cover her mouth so her laughs didn’t echo around the shuttle. Anakin just froze, looking shocked for a minute before he frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Of course you don’t.” Luke rolled his eyes. “You two are just . . . _friends_.”

“Cut it out!” Anakin snapped. “Talking like this can get the Senator and myself in serious trouble! Especially when it’s just subtle accusations.”

Luke crossed his arms. “We’re the only ones in this ship, no one else can hear me! And it isn’t accusations— I saw you two together!”

“Seriously,” Anakin’s frown grew. “That is enough.”

“You’re just mad because your wife likes us more than you,” Leia teased, biting her cheek.

“You knew too? Luke you promised not to say!” Anakin looked suddenly panicked. "Who else did you tell? Ahsoka? Obi-Wan?"

“It doesn’t count when it comes to Leia,” Luke shrugged. "And I didn't tell anyone else." Not that he'd even told Leia; being both Anakin and Padme's kids was a dead give-away about their relationship.

"And I'm pretty sure Obi-Wan already knows," Leia's nonchalant tone sent Anakin into a panic.

"What? No, Obi-Wan doesn't know!"

Leia tried not to roll her eyes. From all Obi-Wan had told them about their parents when they'd been young children, he'd known about their secret relationship for quite some time. Apparently, neither Anakin nor Padme had been very discreet. But Obi-Wan had never brought it up because he'd seen no point. Their parents had been happy and Obi-Wan had loved them both.

"Sure," she let it go, allowing her father to live in denial if he wanted to. Honestly, it would be like if she tried to hide a relationship from Luke. Anakin and Obi-Wan were too close for the elder man not to notice their father's love for their mother. 

“What’s it like being married to a Senator?” Leia leaned forward, placing her chin on her hand. Growing up, Obi-Wan had never known the extent of their parent's relationship. He'd known they'd been in love and had been about to bring children into the Galaxy but he hadn't known if they'd been married or dating or even when they started seeing each other. He'd always suspected it be some time before the war officially started but Anakin had never confided in him on that. The only reason the twins knew their parents had been married now was because had overheard their argument and Anakin had claimed to be Padme's husband.

“I’m not answering that.”

“Is it hard keeping your relationship a secret?”

No reply from Anakin. His hands clenched tighter on the controls.

“Do you ever get the desire to just say kriff it and tell the Galaxy?”

Silence.

“Have you ever been caught?”

“What by someone other than you?” Anakin pointed out, relaxing a tad when Luke smirked.

“Fair point.”

“Would you care if the Jedi expelled you when they find out.”

“ _When_?” Anakin paused, turning in his seat to give Leia a look. “What do you mean by ‘when’.”

Leia wasn’t sure if that was a dumb question or not. “Surely you don’t expect to be able to keep the secret forever?”

“It’s worked for 3 years,” Anakin shrugged, hating how the nagging voice in his head told him she was right. For the past 3 years, he and Padme had managed to juggle their duties to the Republic and each other in a sometimes perfect balance. It was hard, yes, and there were times that they had to sacrifice time with each other for the betterment of the Galaxy but so far, they’d managed to stay undetected. Rex had almost caught them a few times but no harm had been done. It was like having the best of two lives: he could fight all day long and be the Jedi he knew he was always meant to be and then at night he went home to his wife.

“But do you honestly believe this is a secret you can always hide?” Leia frowned, talking like she would in the Senate when putting across a point no one else seemed to understand. “What about when things get more complicated?”

“How would they get complicated?”

“Is that a joke?” Leia forced out a laugh, trying not to sound as serious as she felt. “Children, for one.”

“Padme and I don’t have kids,” Anakin mumbled, sounding somewhat unpleased with that fact. An image of a little girl who looked so much like her mother filled his mind. He could see her flowing brown locks and hear her bubbly laugh, calling out to him in the same melodic voice as Padme.

“But what if one day you do?” Luke chimed in. “Then what?”

Anakin turned to the twins, something dark in his expression. For a second, he looked honestly disgusted. “I wouldn’t abandon my children if that’s what you’re implying!”

“We weren’t,” Leia shook her head. “I’m just saying . . . you’re balancing being a Jedi and husband right now. It’s working, in some degree, sure. But how do you plan on balancing being a Jedi and father?”

“This is all rhetorical,” Anakin shook his head.

“One day it won’t be.”

“And how do you know that, hm?” Their father raised an eyebrow.

‘ _Because we’re sitting right here_ ,’ Luke sighed through their bond.

Leia raised her hands in defeat. “Fair enough. I’m just trying to be realistic.”

Anakin clenched his hands so tightly around the controls that under his glove, his knuckles turned white. The truth was that he did want children with Padme; he wanted a life that he knew he could never give her— one she deserved. He wanted a family of his own to come home to, to kiss his wife after a busy day and play with small children who looked just like their mother. He wanted a daughter to spoil and who would look at him like he were her Knight in Shining Armour. He wanted a son to build droids with and teach how to fly.

But the Jedi forbade that life. As much as Anakin hated to admit it, Leia was right. How could he be a good father— or even a present father— if he couldn’t even publicly claim his future children as his own?

“Anyway,” Anakin thought the wires in his metal hand would burst with how hard he was clenching his fist now. “I never admitted to being in any sort of relationship with Senator Amidala.”

The twins exchanged a look, deciding it would be best to just sit through the rest of the journey in silence.

* * *

Padme was waiting for them on the veranda when Anakin landed the shuttle. She raced over just as the twins climbed out, pulling both of them into her arms. It was the first time either of them had ever been hugged by their mother as she held them close, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. Leia wondered how people all over the Galaxy could take this for granted, being hugged by her mother felt like the most beautiful experience she'd ever had.

“Thank the Force you’re okay,” Padme stepped out of the embrace, smiling at them with unrestrained happiness. Something had taken ahold of her when she’d discovered the twins missing the morning they’d snuck aboard Anakin’s ship. She'd been half ready to send out her guards to scour the Lower Levels of Coruscant in vain hope that they'd find the missing Luke and Leia. It had seemed totally unreasonable to worry considering she'd known the twins a day but the panic had risen up anyway. And it hadn’t ceased to exist until the very second they’d been in her arms.

(There was no denying she felt some sort of strange connection to them but for whatever reason, she had no clue why.)

“Hi,” Leia smiled weakly. “We didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Sneaking onto a Republic flagship,” Padme shook her head, still unable to believe the twins had done something so stupid. It reminded her a little of one of Anakin's barely-thought-out exploits. “Whatever idiot thoughts went through your head for that one! I was so worried!”

“It was Leia’s idea,” Luke shrugged, receiving a slap from his sister. Leia managed to hit him right on his blaster wound, making Luke hiss in pain. “Ow! Watch it!”

Padme’s eyes widened, horror flashing in them for a brief second. Her heart clenched when she noticed the bandage wrapped around Luke's bicep.“You’re hurt! What happened? Anakin you were meant to keep them safe!”

Her husband sighed, somehow knowing he would be the one to get the brunt of the anger. It seemed totally unfair that he get in trouble considering the twins were responsible for their own actions. And yet he'd expected it anyway. “Separatists invaded our ship; I told them to stay in my quarters but they didn’t listen. Luke got hurt saving Rex’s life.”

“He was a hero,” Leia hoped parading her brother’s heroics would get them off being in trouble. She would big her brother up if it meant being saved from their mother's wrath.

“You were still hurt!” Padme didn’t sound impressed, a delicate frown crossing her features. “Come inside and i’ll reapply the bacta.”

They sat in their mother’s living room, Luke on the floor with his arm over Padme’s lap as she inspected and redressed his wound. It wasn't unlike night when Anakin had returned home, covered in cuts and bruises from an unforgiving war and Padme had spent long hours acting as his nurse. Her hands were so gentle and full of love as she worked around the blaster wound she'd seen many times on her husband's body. It was a sad thought that after 2 years of war, she was used to such injuries by now. If Anakin came home without so much as cut or bruise, then it truly was a miracle.

Leia sat beside her mother on the sofa, flicking through the Holonet as she channel-hopped every 5 minutes as if it belonged to her. Anakin stood on the sidelines, watching with a thoughtful expression at how the twins seemed to look so at home in his wife's apartment. With Padme tending to Luke's wound and Leia resting on the sofa like there was no where else she belonged better than here, they almost looked like a family. There were definite similarities between the twins and his wife but Anakin brushed them to the back of his mind, making a conclusion that it must be their shared home-planet.

“Leia can stop doing that?” Luke complained, moving his head away from examining his mother’s work to look at his sister. “It’s really annoying!”

Just to annoy him, Leia channel hopped several more times. “Stop it,” Padme chastised but there was a small smile on her face despite it. She felt a little bit like her mother whenever she'd tried to placate Padme and Sola's arguments; for some reason, Padme felt as if she fit the role of mother perfectly. “All done Luke, how does it feel?”

Luke moved his arm, the cooling sensation numbing the pain again. “It's perfect, thank you! I just hope no nerf hits it again,” he sent his sister a glare to which she rolled her eyes at.

Padme let his insult go. “Anytime— if it hurts again, come to me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Luke nodded, not moving from his spot on the floor as Leia seemed to settle on a classic Holofilm. He leant against his mother’s legs, his head bent back slightly so it was propped on her knees as he stretched his own legs out in front of him. Leia, in turn, shuffled closer to her mother as she got more comfortable on the sofa, turning the sound up.

"This is one of my favourite Holofilms," she remarked absentmindedly as the opening credits played. "Have you seen this before Padme?"

Padme smiled, "Oh yes, it was my favourite as child. My sister and I used to be obsessed. I haven't seen it in years now I think of it. I guess I've been far too busy." Leia seemed to glow at Padme's statement.

“That sucks,” Luke mumbled from the floor. “I’d go crazy if I didn’t have time to relax and watch the Holonet.”

“Luke’s the lazy one in the family,” Leia teased.

“Hey! Just because you—“

“Shh!” Leia slammed her finger to her lips, glaring at her brother. “The Holofilm is starting!”

Anakin smiled at the sight, unsure as to why his heart seemed to grow at the domestic setting his wife had managed to find herself in. He could tell from the look on Padme's face that she was loving every second of it. A pang of guilt overcame him as he thought of how much Padme had sacrificed to be with him: she'd admitted to him before they'd even gotten together that'd she'd dreamt of having a family, much like her sister had. Multiple times his wife had remarked about her desire to have children and settle down with him but because of the war and their jobs, those dreams had been pushed to the side. But as Anakin watched her relax on the sofa with Leia, her fingers gently running through the hair on Luke's head, he knew that they'd have a family one day. 

Leia’s words from before circled in his mind. It was true that he wouldn’t be able to be a Jedi and father, Anakin knew that. Or, at least, he couldn’t do it in secret. The thought of giving this up, his wife and future children laying on the couch and watching a Holofilm, was too painful to even imagine. He wanted to be there. He wanted to see all the joy that children would bring his wife; he wanted to be the amazing father that Padme had so much faith that he'd be.

Anakin knew, deep down, that when the time came and he and Padme decided to start a family, it would mean the end of Anakin’s Jedi career. All his life, ever since he’d said goodbye to his mother, he’d wanted a family. He’d wanted a place to call home and people who he cared for and loved and vice versa. Padme was his everything and he knew, without a doubt, that he would love any and all children they brought into the Galaxy together.

But he would only be able to have that life if he left the Order.

"Ani?" Padme's sweet voice brought him out of his thoughts, her head resting on the back of the sofa as she smiled at him. "Are you joining us?" Something in her eyes screamed _please_ and Anakin knew he had no other choice but to do as she'd silently asked. He could never deny her anything. 

He'd never seen the Holofilm playing and in all honesty, it didn't seem like his cup of tea but as he sat down, Leia moved her legs to rest over his lap and it felt like a jigsaw slipping into place. It was almost like this was where he was meant to be. Anakin stretched his hand out over the back of the sofa, smiling to himself when Padme's free hand wove itself into his and he knew that if the Jedi called him right now or even the Chancellor demanded his presence, there was no way in all Corellia's hells that he'd be moving.

As the Holofilm played and they all sat in comfortable silence, Anakin allowed himself to pretend that this was the future. That he and Padme were happily married with the entire Galaxy knowing and that these children were theirs. He pretended that this was just a normal, quiet family evening. One of a million.

(Although if his kids did turn out anything like the twins, then Force help him).


	13. Meet the Naberries

Leia woke up to the sound of a crashing plate. The smash was loud and having always been a rather light sleeper, she found herself waking up far earlier than she would’ve liked. Since becoming a Princess 5 years ago, lay-ins had been another thing she’d left behind on Naboo. Between the Princess lessons, educational tutors and social events, she couldn’t afford to sleep in past 09:00 anymore.

She yawned as she sat up, scratching her head when her eyes focused on Luke. He was fast asleep, snoring away, and for a second she considered waking him up too. Perhaps she could jump on him to give him a good waking scare.

(Leia was smart enough to know that wouldn’t end well).

Instead, she decided to get herself ready for the day. Padme had leant her a few spare outfits the night before after the Holofilm had finished and they’d all gone to bed. The one Leia chose was a matching brown pair of pants and a long-sleeved peplum top, elegant yet modest. Just her style.

“Calm down Padme, it’s all going to be alright!” Leia could hear Anakin say as she rounded the corner to the living room. It figures he’d spent the night. So much for pretending he wasn’t romantically involved with the Senator.

“How can I be calm when they’re going to be here soon!” Her mother sounded on the edge of hysteria.

“What’s going on?” Leia frowned when she walked in. Droids were everywhere, cleaning and tiding the apartment up in every direction she looked. One was sweeping up the broken plate as other dusted the table and straightened out the pillows.

“Leia, thank Force you’re up and ready!” Padme looked her usual put-together self but something about her expression made her look frazzled. “My family is arriving soon and I haven’t told them about you two staying here so it’s best to make a good impression. They'll be curious, to say the least.”

“Your family?” Leia swallowed. After years of never even knowing this side of her family existed, she was about to meet them for the first time. Would it be her beloved grandparents or was her aunt making an appearance too? Leia wondered if her mother's family knew about her and Luke in their present time? Had the Jedi secretly whispered confirmations that the twins had survived and were being raised in hiding or had they been left out the loop, believing any grandchild their mother had been carrying had died in her womb? The thought was sickening.

“They called me this morning,” Padme ran a hand through her hair. “Apparently since i’ve missed the past few family meet-ups as i’ve been so busy, they’ve decided to come here. My mother called it a family suprise.”

“That’s lovely!” Leia smiled as anxiety started to work its way into her mind. Would they like her?

Leia liked to think that if things had gone differently and she’d been raised by her biological parents that when she’d run for Senator and become too busy to travel home, her parents would do the same as what her grandparents were doing now. Would Leia have gotten a surprise visit from Padme, Anakin and Luke when she couldn’t make the time to see them herself? She hoped so. It warmed her heart to think of it.

Padme obviously didn’t share the same feelings. “Lovely isn’t the word I would use.”

 _Don’t be ungrateful_ , Leia suddenly wanted to say. What was her mother complaining about? Her family loving her? Leia had spent her entire life either kept apart from said family or denied the truth about their existence. She’d never truly grown up with a mother and father and she’d never had grandparents either.

Everything her mother had now— everything she was complaining about— was a privilege in Leia’s eyes.

“They love you,” Leia found herself growing angry. “They just want to see you, what’s so wrong with that?”

“I have no time,” Padme sighed, starting to pace. “Between the bill i’m drafting to bring before the Senate, your arrival and my refugee campaigns, they’ve chosen the worst time to come! In all my years as Senator, never once have my parents visited— why now?”

“Padme,” Anakin placed his hands on Padme’s shoulders, looking her deeply in the eye. “It’ll all work out. Don't stress.”

“How can you stand there and complain about this?” The words were out Leia’s mouth faster than she realised. _Poodoo_ , she shouldn’t have said that.

“What?” Her mother looked shocked at her outburst.

No turning back now Leia decided. “Look what you’re complaining about! Oh no, your family loves you! Oh no, your parents want to spend time with you because they’ve missed you! How dare they pick such an _inconvenient_ time to harass you! Maybe if you’d made the effort to see your family they wouldn’t have to resort to such extreme methods.”

“Watch it,” Anakin growled, pointing at her with an expression that looked like it could cut glass. Leia refused to be intimidated.

“All i’m trying to say,” Leia took in deep breaths as she tried to expel her anger. Obi-Wan had taught her that getting a cool head when angry was the best way to deal with the emotion. “Is that I would never complain about something like this. Your family are flying across the Galaxy just to come and spend time with you. That’s all I could ever _hope_ for.”

“Leia—“ Guilt etched itself onto Padme’s face and she reached out a hand but Leia took a few steps back.

“I need to go to the refresher,” the teen mumbled, wrapping her arms around her chest as she backed away. She ignored her mother’s calls for her to come back as she locked herself in the fresher, sinking down to the floor.

 _Breathe in, breathe out_ , she repeated over and over again. _Don’t cry_.

She wasn’t sure how long she was in there when a quiet knock sounded against the door. “Leia?” Padme’s voice was soft but sturdy. “Can I please come in?”

“I wanna be alone,” Leia hated how vulnerable she sounded. To the eyes of Imperials and the Senate, Leia Organa was an impenetrable rock with a sharp wit and clear-cut view on what was right or wrong. She was a force to be reckoned with, holding all the grace of a Princess and fearlessness of a warrior.

Yet behind closed doors, Leia Skywalker was not as strong as her counterpart. She was a girl from a family ripped apart by forces outside her control and nothing she could do would stitch it back together again. Guilt lodged itself in her soul over her mother’s death and anger coursed through her whenever she thought of Vader and who he was to her. She was the daughter of a monster and no matter how hard she fought for the side of good and tried to help others, that fact would always remain.

Family had always been a sore spot for Leia.

Padme sighed, knowing Leia wanted to be left alone but her instincts screamed for her to go in. She debated whether or not she should do as Leia wanted or what she needed. Maybe it wasn’t her place . . . But then Padme thought about what her mother would do and how she’d handle this situation.

“I’m coming in,” she called softly, pressing the door release. Her heart sunk at Leia sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around her legs in such a wounded way. It was clear she’d struck a nerve.

“You don’t have to be here,” Leia whispered, refusing to look at her mother as she sat down beside her on the floor.

“I want to be. I’m sorry for sounding so insensitive. I should’ve known it would hit a nerve.”

“I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Sometimes that’s the only way to get the truth across,” Padme brushed it off. She didn’t care about what Leia had said, it was the fact that she’d said it that worried Padme. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about?”

“Your family, for one,” Padme kept her voice soft and light despite the fire raging in her gut, demanding to know why and who had hurt the girl beside her. Leia often acted far older than her short 15 years of age but right now she looked like the child she was, hunched over with her legs pressed to her chest.

“I don’t have a family,” Leia looked to the side, trying to stop the tears from forming in her eyes. With all the shields and masks she’d perfected for when talking to Imperials, it was the conversation of family and what she’d lost that tore her down. For a second she thought of Bail and Breha, her parents by law. Despite having spent 5 years with them, Leia didn’t feel all that connected to them. She wasn’t really their daughter— Obi-Wan had made sure Leia and Luke understood who their parents had been and just what it meant to be the son and daughter of a Jedi and Senator. Her legal parents didn't understand her: they didn't understand why Leia got so angry for no reason, they didn't understand why she acted so reckless at times and they didn't understand why she believed the feel of the wind in her hair as she flew at neck-breaking speeds was the best feeling in the Galaxy.

Anyway, Leia knew that Bail just saw Padme each time he looked at her.

“That’s not true,” Padme carried on. “You have Luke.”

Leia didn’t know how to explain to her mother that the last few days here had been the longest she’d been with Luke for 5 years. The most they’d been together had been a few short hours on their birthday for the past 3 years. She would always love her brother but they hadn’t been true family in a long time.

“Why don’t you want them to come here?” Leia changed the conversation, not knowing how she could explain her family situation without lying. “Your family, I mean.”

Her mother sighed. “I’m just stressed, that’s all. I love my family dearly but they worry about me and I don’t want them to have reason to worry more.”

“You’re so lucky to have them,” Leia once again imagined a big Naberrie Christmas, with her and Luke getting chased by their faceless cousins whilst Padme and her sister, who Leia pictured to look like her, watched on with amusement. Their greying grandparents would grab the twins, pulling them into a big hug before feeding them with so much chocolate they would explode.

That’s what family was to Leia: love, security, togetherness and happiness. Not a brother halfway across the Galaxy, adopted parents who, try as they might, would never seem to understand and dead parents.

She hadn’t even seen Obi-Wan, the closest she’d had to a parent, in 5 years. And it hadn’t been like he’d not known of her whereabouts! A fresh wave of abandonment rolled over Leia.

“I know,” Padme nodded. “I do appreciate them, I promise.” She paused for a second before reaching out and holding her daughter’s hand. “And i’m sorry— I can’t change your past or your family’s history but I can tell you that you deserved better. You deserve a family who love you and would fly across the Galaxy to be with you. It wasn’t your fault.”

Leia blinked back tears, listening to the underlying message in her mother’s words. She believed Leia deserved the life Padme had— the family that was actually her own too. The fact that Leia’s mother believed that almost made up for everything. Almost but not quite.

“Now come on,” Padme squeezed Leia’s hand. “My family will be arriving soon and I would love for you to meet them.”

Leia couldn’t hide her excitement at meeting her extended family for the first time in 15 years. The moment was long overdue and she wasn’t getting the justice she deserved for they wouldn’t know who she truly was but Leia was going to meet them all the same.

That was enough right now.

* * *

Padme’s family arrived just under 2 hours after Leia had initially woken up. After the heart to heart with her mother, Leia had gone straight back to her bedroom to wake up Luke and fill him in on their new arrivals. They’d helped their mother clean up and make the apartment look immaculate as they’d tried to appease their nerves at meeting their family for the first time.

‘ _Do you think we’ll meet our cousins_?’ Leia had wondered to Luke as they’d sat on the sofa, waiting. They were both dressed in smart clothes, hair combed perfectly and faces clean. The importance of a good first impression was not lost on either of them.

Equally, their mother had decided to put on one of her less elaborate but smart dresses. It was a sunny yellow colour with flowers sown into the fabric, making her appear relaxed and at ease. Anakin had decided to stay as well, dressed smartly in his Jedi robes as he pretended to be on watch for the twins.

‘ _I hope so_ ,’ Luke had replied back just as their mother’s comm buzzed, indicating her family were on their way up.

The elevator opened and suddenly a flow of sound filled the apartment. “Padme!” Several people cried out as they all bustled out of the elevator. Leia watched in shock as she looked upon the faces of her family for the first time. These were people that she was bound to by blood. People who should love her unconditionally yet have never known she existed.

The first to reach their mother and pull her into a hug was obviously the twins’ grandparents. They looked younger than Leia had expected; their grandmother was a slender woman with a kind face and beautiful features. Her hair was the same colour brown as Padme and Leia’s, except with a few strands of grey. Their grandfather wasn’t a tall man, his stature short just like their mother’s and unlike his wife who’d aged well, he had more lines etched onto his face and grey in his hair.

“There’s my sister! If it weren’t for the constant media coverage, I would’ve thought you’d fallen off the face of the Galaxy!” The twins aunt stepped forward, pulling Padme into a hug. Her face was longer than Padme's, her nose slightly bigger and she didn’t have the same delicate features but the prominent Naberrie genes still made her beautiful.

“Sola,” Padme laughed, rolling her eyes. “Stop! Hi Darred, it’s been a while,” their mother hugged the man at their aunt’s side, his smile warm.

“You should’ve heard Sola’s whining,” their uncle teased. “She’s constantly going on about how she’s going to kidnap you to get a break every now and then.” He was tall with light brown hair and rugged features.

“Aunty Padme!” Next came the squeals of two young girls, both dressed in adorable dresses. The oldest had long, dark brown hair, looking identical to the twins aunt. The second girl had obviously taken after Padme more in looks, except with light brown curls framing her round face and a wide smile.

“Ryoo! Pooja!” Padme got on her knees to give the girls a hug. Leia guessed they oldest couldn’t be older than 10. “Oh how i’ve missed you! You’ve gotten so big. Force, Ryoo, you look like a clone of your mother! And Pooja, i’m so sorry I wasn’t there for your 5th birthday last month— did you like my gift?”

“She’s wearing it now,” Sola smiled with obvious love as Pooja turned her head to show off the shining crystal hair clip of a Nubian flower woven into her hair. “Everyday it’s ‘mummy, I wanna wear Aunty Padme’s present!’”

Padme laughed, kissing the girl’s cheek. “I’m so glad.”

“Mummy says you’ve been super busy lately,” Ryoo sounded sad. “We’ve missed you Aunty Padme.”

“Lots and lots!” Pooja added in, nodding so quickly her curls bounced up and down.

“I know,” Padme sighed. “I wish I was around more too.”

“Anakin, I didn’t see you there,” the twins grandfather suddenly spoke up, spotting the Jedi. He offered his hand, smiling kindly at the Knight. The last time they’d seen eachother, Anakin hadn’t been anything more than a boy and a Padawan. But now he looked far more mature, his hair having grown out and an air of intimidation following him. “It’s good to see you again, son.”

“Likewise,” Anakin smiled back. “It’s always a pleasure in Senator Amidala’s family’s company.”

“You flatter us Anakin,” Sola laughed as she stepped forward to give the Jedi a hug. “I hope your reasons for being here are far more social than out of duty?”

“I heard you were coming Sola and I came right away,” Anakin smirked.

“You tease,” Sola chuckled.

“Anakin!” Pooja and Ryoo chuckled, running over to him. Their father ducked down, holding out his hands for the girls to high-five. “Can you show us Jedi tricks again?”

Anakin scratched the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. “How about after dinner if your Aunty Padme says it’s okay?”

“Yay!” The young girls cheered, giggling to each other.

“How’ve you been Anakin?” Their uncle, Darred, stepped forward to offer his hand. “I hope the War hasn’t been too horrible?”

“There’s good days and bad days,” their father nodded. Darred seemed to understand that, giving the Jedi a solemn look.

“Oh, I don’t think we’ve met,” Padme’s mother paused, having finally noticed the twins standing to the side, wide eyed. She smiled kindly but awkwardly looking to her daughter for clarification as to why there were two teenagers in her apartment. “Are you friends of Padme’s?”

“Mom, Dad,” Padme stepped forward so she was beside the twins, feeling the sudden urge for her parents to like the twins. She wasn’t sure why it felt so important but Padme just felt like it was. “This is Luke and Leia, they’ve been my house guests for a few days.”

“Oh,” the twins’ grandmother looked shocked for a second, recovering quickly. Their grandfather stepped forward, offering Luke his hand as he nodded.

“How do you know our daughter?” Their grandfather asked, his handshake strong as he clasped Luke’s palm with purpose. Luke tried to keep his hand strong, wanting to make a good impression.

“Are you employing children now for Handmaids positions?” Sola frowned, looking dubious as to why her sister had allowed kids into her home. “And boys?”

“No,” Padme smiled. “Our meeting was a matter of coincidence, I guess you could say. They had no where to go so i’ve offered them to stay with me for a little while.”

“That’s very selfless of you,” Padme’s father didn’t sound too pleased at the fact. He seemed rather suspicious of Luke and Leia. “What was this matter of coincidence?”

Leia cleared her throat, not knowing how she was supposed to sugarcoat this. “We broke in.”

Their grandmother’s eyes widened, a look of horror flashing across her face. Their grandfather stilled, turning to Padme with a look of incredulity. “They broke in to steal from you and you let them stay here?”

“They didn’t steal from me Dad!” Padme looked offended, feeling the strong desire to protect the twins reputations. “They were in need of a bed to sleep in— they’d been on the streets.”

Padme’s mother gasped, the same look crossing her face as Padme’s had when she’d found out about the fake situation for why Luke and Leia had broken in. “How horrible! Oh you poor children,” she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around them, pulling both of them into her embrace. Leia closed her eyes as she drank in the smell of her maternal grandmother— in another life this embrace would be so common that she brushed it off.

“I’m Jobal, Padme’s mother,” their grandmother introduced herself as she stepped back. “I hope my daughter has been the perfect host?”

“She’s amazing,” Luke nodded.

“I’m Ruwee,” their grandfather nodded, arms crossed from where he sat. “A pleasure to meet you.” It was clear he was slightly skeptical of them still.

“I’m Padme’s sister, Sola,” their aunt gave each twin a hug and Leia did her best to not cry. She had an Aunt Sola she’d never even known about. “That’s my husband Darred and our children: Ryoo and Pooja.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all,” Leia pushed the tremor in her voice down. “It’s so sweet of you to come all this way to see Padme.”

“We wouldn’t have to if my dear sister took a break every now and then!”

“Hush Sola,” Jobal, their grandmother, sighed. “We’re all together now— that’s all that matters.”

Leia felt someone tug on her clothes, looking down to see her cousin Pooja standing before her with a large grin. “Do you wanna play with us?”

Ryoo came over, holding up her dolly for the twins to see. “We were gonna have a tea party! Wanna join?”

Leia just nodded, making the two girls cheer loudly. “Aunty Padme can we please borrow some cups!”

“Pooja, what did we say after last time?” Sola shook his head. “Sorry Padme.”

"But I won't drop them this time!" Pooja pouted. "I promise! Aunty Padme, please?"

“It’s no problem,” their mother laughed. “I’ll get Threepio to bring you some cups and plates.”

It was only a few minutes later that the tea party was all set up. Four cups and plates were set out on the small coffee table, the twins and their cousins sitting on the floor to play. Leia had caught the eye of her mother just as they’d sat down, Padme having smiled in a heartwarming way. She'd winked at Leia as if she were doing the right thing by humouring the young girls to play. Padme had no idea how much Leia had longed for this.

With all the adults having taken a seat in the dining room, talking about politics no doubt, Leia and Luke were happy to be playing with their young cousins.

“Would you like some tea Mr Luke?” Pooja made her voice sound posh as she rolled back and forth on her knees, picking up the empty tea pot Padme had allowed them to borrow.

“Yes, thank you Miss Pooja,” her brother couldn’t help but smile as the young girl pretended to pour him some tea.

“Be careful it’s hot!”

Luke blowed on the empty cup, pretending to take a sip. “Yummy!”

“Would you like a cake?” Ryoo offered an empty plate to Leia. “I made them myself!”

“No you didn’t!” Pooja chimed in, frowning. “I did!”

“Did not!”

“Oooh, yummy,” Leia pretend to bite the imaginary cake. She shared a look with Luke at the girls arguing over who made the non-existent cakes. If she and Luke had been like this, she felt bad for Obi-Wan.

They continued to play for a while, pretending to sip their tea and bite their imaginary cakes, much to the pleasure of their two young cousins. It was weird considering in reality, the twins hadn’t even been born yet. If everything worked out the way they wanted then the roles with which they played with their cousins would be reversed: Luke and Leia would be the ones forcing them into a tea party as older versions of Ryoo and Pooja complied.

Ryoo was happily pretending to get her dolly to drink some of the tea when Pooja suddenly turned to the twins, making her pause. “Are you our cousins?”

Luke froze in pretending to take a bite of cake, his eyes wide as he thought of a response to that.

‘ _How did they figure out something our own parents are oblivious to?_ ’ He said to Leia through their bond.

 _‘I guess kids are more intuitive?_ ’ Leia cringed. It was obvious they were going to have to lie and say no but for some reason, it felt wrong to lie to their actual cousins.

“No, sorry,” Leia smiled sadly. “Why did you think we were?”

Pooja paused, almost looking like she was going to argue it before she shrugged. “You look a lot like Aunty Padme and Anakin. And Aunty Padme seems to really like you.”

Ryoo looked up from feeding her doll. “You look a bit like Grandma too,” she added. “And like mummy!”

Once again, Leia was a little overwhelmed by how much the Naberrie genes had dominated her features.

“It would’ve been nice if you were our cousins,” Pooja spoke offhandedly as she poured herself some more tea. “You’re nifty.”

Leia laughed at the girls words. She was going to call Pooja ‘nifty’ too when she was suddenly hit by a memory.

_It must’ve been at least a few years ago, back when Leia had been 12 (almost 13) and Bail had agreed for her to accompany him to the Senate to shadow him for the day. Leia had been nagging for months that she wanted a more prominent role as Princess and that she dreamed of being a Senator just like her mother and Bail. Finally, he’d caved and allowed Leia to see the insides of the Senate, taking her with him to Coruscant the next time duty had called._

_All day Leia had been in awe, walking through the Senate corridors like she were walking through a goldmine. For the most part, Leia had just sat and watched as Bail filled out paperwork and prepared speeches for bills he wanted to pass. In reality, Leia had been a little bored. (Looking back on it, she was sure Bail had done this on purpose to try and discourage her from her dreams)._

_It had been towards the end of the day when their security had claimed the Senator of Naboo had arrived to hand over some paperwork to do with trade routes or something like that. Leia had watched as a rather young woman with curly, light brown hair had walked in and started talking softly to Bail. The woman had looked like she were still in her late teens for her round face had all the signs of youth and her pretty features hadn’t been aged by wrinkles or lines yet._

_Leia remembered thinking that the young woman had looked a little like her._

_“Have you met my daughter, Senator?” Bail had introduced the two of them, waving Leia over so they could meet. “Leia this is the Senator of Naboo.”_

_“Hi,” Leia hadn’t known why she’d felt so comfortable around this woman but it had almost felt right to meet her. All the other Senators Leia had met that day had either been mean or so stuck-up that she’d hated every one of them. Not this one though, Leia had been able to tell she were kind._

_“Hi Leia,” the young woman had waved at her, a familiar smile creeping up on her lips. She’d looked a little like Luke when she smiled. “I’m Pooja.”_

_Leia remembered thinking that it were a funny name but it was sweet. She’d seen Pooja a few more times after that when she’d accompanied Bail on later trips to the Senate. They’d never spoken for long and never about anything important but Leia had liked the Senator of Naboo and the Senator had liked her._

Now, Leia realised she’d been talking to her cousin the entire time.

‘ _Leia you okay?_ ’ Luke broke her out of her realisation, whispering to her through their bond. ‘ _You kinda froze._ ’

_‘I know her.’_

_‘Who?’_

_‘Pooja.’_

_‘Pooja as in our 5 year old cousin— that Pooja?’_

_‘Pooja as in our late teens, early 20s, cousin.’_

_‘You met her in our own timeline_?’ Luke blinked, trying not to show his obvious shock. Lucky for them, neither of their cousins were looking; they were too busy playing still.

‘ _Pooja becomes the Senator of Naboo; Bail introduced us when I was 12. She was always really nice to me and i’d always think ‘wow, she looks a lot like me’— I guess we know the reason now.’_

‘ _Does it ever make you mad_?’ Luke suddenly frowned. ‘ _How much we’ve been lied to? Obi-Wan never told us we had extended family and Bail never told you that Pooja was actually your cousin. What would be so wrong with a little honesty?’_

 _‘It’s so complicated_ ,’ Leia mentally sighed. ‘ _I guess they just wanted to keep us safe and thought if we’d known about all this, maybe we would’ve done something careless._ ’ She wanted to be angry like Luke but rationality had taken its grip on her. Having all these ties made them vulnerable. What if the Emperor had discovered how much Luke and Leia loved their cousins and used that as an advantage later in life?

‘ _Yes because there’s something so dangerous as knowing who your family is_!’ Luke rolled his eyes, turning his head to the side so the girls didn’t notice.

_‘I don’t like it either Luke but let’s be realistic. If Obi-Wan had told us our mother’s family lived on the same planet as we did, we wouldn’t have just ignored that fact! We would’ve gone seen them!’_

‘ _So?’_

_‘Publicising who our mother is would only put us in danger!’_

It was like a domino effect. Obi-Wan had hidden the Naberrie’s from them because it wasn’t safe for people in the Galaxy to know who the twins mother was because that would lead them to Vader, which would lead them to the Emperor, which would lead them to either death or doom.

The lies, whilst horrible and unfair, had meant the twins would never act irrationally and expose the secret Obi-Wan had been trying all his life to keep: that the twins were Force sensitive relatives of a dead Jedi and Senator.

She hated it but she understood.

‘ _I live with our father now and everything is fine!’_

 _‘You’ve lived with him for 4 and a half years, Luke_ ,’ Leia changed her tactics, trying to shed some light on the fact that Vader had lied to Luke just as much as Obi-Wan had. _‘In all that time did he tell you about our mother’s family? He obviously knew them well.’_

Luke went silent, his head tilted down to the floor as he burned a hole in the carpet. He’d been just as blindsided about having extended family as she was.

Sometimes Leia hated being right.


	14. Homeless?

They played in silence for a little longer, Luke sulking whilst Leia tried to distract herself, before Anakin’s voice sounded behind them.

“I hope you girls are keeping the twins out of trouble,” he teased, making Ryoo and Pooja drop their toys to race to his side. They were beaming large smiles, staring up at him like he were the Force’s gift to the Galaxy.

“Anakin!” They giggled, craning their necks to look up at him. Given the Jedi’s tall height, Pooja was only just taller than his knees and Ryoo’s head grazed the top of his hips. None of the Naberrie’s were particularly tall people but compared to Anakin, the girls looked like ants. And they clearly adored him.

“Are you coming to play with us? Can you make us float like you did before?” Ryoo batted her eyelids, jumping up and down.

“Maybe later,” he smirked, ducking down to be at their height. “Dinner’s almost ready, your Mom wants you to go wash your hands.”

“Okay!” Pooja and Ryoo ran off to the refresher, giggling as they went.

Anakin turned his attention to the seated twins. “Come on you two, dinner time.”

“Not hungry,” Luke turned his head away, feeling annoyed at Anakin all the sudden. His father had known about Padme’s family but he’d never told him about them. 4 and a half years they’d lived together and not once had Vader mentioned the fact Luke had a whole set of relatives he could’ve met and had in his life— Force knew it got lonely in the Imperial Palace at times, it would’ve been nice to see his cousins every once in a while.

Luke knew Anakin hadn’t lied to him yet but the fact that one day he would, made Luke mad.

The man in question scoffed. “I highly doubt that, i’ve heard the stories from Fives and Tup: apparently you inhale your food.”

“Well, i’m not going to today,” Luke crossed his arms.

“At least come to the table,” Anakin sighed. He saw no point in this argument.

“No.”

“Luke,” the Jedi hissed his unbeknownst son’s name, stepping forward. He made sure Padme’s family couldn’t hear him as he spoke. “Stop this petulant behaviour and just come join everyone else.”

“No.”

“Why the sudden mood swing?” Anakin looked baffled. “You were fine earlier.”

“I’m just not hungry,” Luke continued to refuse Anakin. He could barely look at the man without feeling a wave of rage.

 _‘Luke, why you acting like this?_ ’ Leia frowned across their link.

‘ _He lied!’_

_‘So did Obi-Wan and Bail, get over it.'_

‘ _He’s my father,_ ’ Luke practically growled. ‘ _He shouldn’t have lied.’_

‘ _The father you’re talking of is a Sith and a murderer— I think lying to you was probably the least terrible thing he’s ever done.’_

 _‘I just don’t understand,_ ’ Luke sounded truly upset, his voice breaking over their bond. ‘ _Why does he do this?_ ’

‘ _The man standing before us right now hasn’t done anything wrong_ ,’ Leia reminded her brother. ‘ _Don’t punish him for the crimes he’s yet to do.’_

Luke paused for a second before pushing himself up off the floor, walking past Anakin to the dining room. He could feel his father’s honest confusion at Luke’s weird mood swings but he didn’t comment. _Get used to it_ , Luke wanted to snark in Anakin's direction.

“There you two are,” Padme smiled as Leia, Luke and Anakin entered the room. Everyone else was seated, Padme sitting beside Sola with Darred on Sola’s other side. Jobal was seated opposite Sola and Ruwee opposite Darred, leaving a spare seat beside Jobal for Anakin to be opposite Padme. On a separate, smaller table, Pooja and Ryoo were happily awaiting their food.

Anakin playfully pushed Luke in the direction of the kids table. “Sit down, grumps.”

“Don’t call me that,” Luke grumbled as he sat opposite Ryoo.

Leia decided to ignore the spare seat next to Pooja and instead made her way over to the empty chair beside her grandmother. She was just pulling it out when Padme cleared her throat.

“Oh Leia, that seat is for Master Skywalker. There’s a space for you beside Pooja,” Padme smiled in a friendly way.

“But that’s the kids table,” Leia spoke bluntly, speaking the obvious like it was clear she wasn’t expected to sit there. As a Princess it would be unheard of to sit at the children’s table. She was used to dining with adults and being expected to behave in accordance to that.

“Your brother is sitting there,” Anakin placed a hand on her shoulder, gently moving her back to the direction of the kids table.

Leia rolled her eyes. “Yes and Luke has the mental age of a 10 year old; I, however, do not!”

“Hey!” Luke glared at his sister from where he sat.

Anakin let out another exasperated sigh. “Why must you make this difficult? It’s a seat Leia, just take it. Who cares where it is?”

She refused to budge, crossing her arms. “Why don’t _you_ sit there then? And i’ll sit over there,” Leia pointed to the empty chair beside Jobal.

“Leia,” Anakin crossed his arms in the identical way to his daughter. “Sit down.”

“I thought it was just a seat,” Leia goaded, enjoying the way Anakin frowned at having his own words thrown back at him. “Who cares where it is? Sit down then Master Jedi.”

“Leia can you please just sit next to Pooja?” Padme spoke up, her cheeks slightly red at the display the teenager was pulling in front of her family.

“Leia if you sit with me we can swap vegetables!” Pooja’s eyes lit up as she giggled towards her cousin. “I don’t like the green ones.”

“Pooja!” Sola sighed with all the grief that came with being a parent (the same sigh Anakin used whenever in the twins company). “No swapping green veg!”

Pooja pouted, turning her wide eyes to Leia again with a look that screamed ‘ _please come sit with me_ ’. Leia just sucked in her pride, ignoring Anakin’s smirk as she sat down next to her young cousin, whispering gently to her. “Don’t worry, I love green veg.” Pooja giggled in a secretive way as Anakin took the last vacated seat just as dinner was served.

Despite what Luke said about not being hungry, he devoured his meal before his young cousins were even halfway. When Luke finished, taking a small sip of his drink, he caught Anakin’s eye from the adults table. His father was smirking, raising an eyebrow at the boy but Luke just rolled his eyes.

Likewise, Leia ignored Anakin’s gaze as she and Pooja not-so-secretly swapped the vegetables that they didn’t like for those they did. She could feel his amused smirk on the back of her head but she refused to look at him.

“So when are you next visiting Naboo Padme?” Sola spoke carefully, her voice drifting from the adult table to the kids.

“Sola,” Padme sighed. “Lets not do this right now.”

“You need to take a break! Anyone could tell the war is taking its toll on you!”

“And if I take a break, whose going to help stop this war?” Padme snapped. “I work to help others. My job isn’t practically fun right now and it’s stressful, yes, but if I take a break then the war is just going to continue on. At least I can do all I can to bring a stop to it.”

“Girls,” the twins grandmother shook her head, sounding displeased. “Enough. Let’s not talk about such horrible things.”

Luke shared a look with Leia, it seemed this was a common argument for the Naberrie sisters.

“Mommy, can we go back to playing?” Pooja spoke up suddenly, putting her fork down. Sola stood up to inspect how much they’d eaten before nodding.

“But no roughhousing— we don’t want to see those dinners come back up, okay?”

“Okay mommy,” the girls yelled as they hopped off their seats and ran back to their awaiting toys.

“Can we go too?” Luke cleared his throat, feeling a blush creep up to his cheeks as he asked. He wasn’t sure if he’d surpassed the age of asking to leave the table but he didn’t want to appear rude.

“Of course,” Padme just smiled kindly, watching as the twins went to rejoin their cousins.

“They seem like sweet kids,” Jobal smiled, unable to deny the warmth she felt at seeing the twins. “There’s just something about them that makes them feel so familiar— like I know them but I can’t place where. And the girl’s stubborn spirit: I swear I thought I was watching a teenage version of you Padme!”

“Mom!” Padme rolled her eyes; she knew she had been a rather argumentative teenager and the times she had been with her parents, her stubborn streak had reigned supreme, but she doubted she had ever been as bad as Leia. If anything, Leia reminded her of Anakin more.

“They’re like little angels,” Sola joked. “They’ve been playing so nicely with the girls.”

Anakin snorted at Sola’s comment. “I don’t think angels are the right word to use.”

“Oh,” Sola leaned forward. “Is there gossip?”

“Anakin! Don’t ruin their reputations,” Padme grew fiercely protective. Leia and Luke were a lot to handle, yes, but their redeeming qualities of kindness and humour almost seemed to make up for that. She saw something more to the twins than just their rebellious sides.

“Hush Padme,” Sola brushed her off.

“Well, let’s just say they have a knack for getting into trouble,” Anakin smirked, leaning back in his seat. From where he was sitting, he could see perfectly into the living room. It appeared where Padme’s nieces had gone back to playing tea party, the twins had made comfort on the sofa to switch on a Holofilm. As long as it wasn’t anything inappropriate for Ryoo and Pooja to listen to, he didn’t care.

“Oh so just like Padme then,” Ruwee laughed. When his daughter made an offended sound, he playfully pointed at her across the table. “Don’t deny it; you were a little troublemaker at their age.”

“I was Queen of Naboo!”

“And yet that didn’t stop you.”

“What’s the plan with those kids anyway?” Jobal suddenly grew serious. “You mentioned they were your guests for a little while but how long will a little while be?”

Padme felt uncomfortable with the conversation; it was far too much like the one she’d had with Anakin just days before. How long would she accommodate for the twins? It was true that she felt connected to them for some odd reason and her heart went out to them for living on the streets but she also understood what Anakin had said: they weren’t her children. She was desperate for a family, yes, but that didn’t mean she had to adopt the first pair of children in need.

Yet the idea of sending the twins on their way to Republic Children Services made her feel sick.

Padme was stuck in the stage of knowing she couldn’t keep Leia and Luke yet not wanting to part from them.

“We haven’t discussed the minor details.”

"We?" Sola seemed to catch Padme's little slip, her eyes darting to Anakin with a knowing smile.

"I mean I," Padme coughed slightly, hoping her face wasn't as red as she suspected it would be. "I haven't thought about the minor details yet."

“I don’t think that counts as a minor detail,” Darred saved her from embarrassment. “The longer you keep them without a date for when they’re to leave, the more they’ll just start to believe you’re going to keep them.”

Padme bit her lip; it was true she’d never told the twins a length of time that she would look out for them. On the day they’d met, the kids had tried to leave but Padme had invited him to just stay the night. And then they’d left on Anakin’s ship and rather than sending them to RCS like she probably should have, she’d invited them back.

Were Leia and Luke starting to believe that Padme wasn’t ever going to send them away? She’d invited them back twice now, with today being the third day they’d slept over. Were they expecting to get kicked out any moment? Or were they expecting for her to draw up custody papers?

“Unless,” Sola paused. “That’s what you want?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you sure sending them away is what you want?”

“I’m far too busy to adopt!” Padme ignored the nagging voice in her head, doing all she could to avoid Anakin’s gaze. She knew how he felt on the situation. He liked the twins, he’d told her so last night. He, too, had admitted to feeling some sort of connection to Leia and Luke that he couldn’t explain. Whilst they’d been in bed, he’d explained how panicked he’d been, like a part of him had died, when he’d discovered Luke had been hurt and he had no reason as to why he'd felt that way.

But just because Anakin liked the kids, didn’t mean he was ready to throw his Jedi career away and become a stay-at-home father for them.

And as much as Padme wanted to make her own decisions and be independent, she understood that taking in two teenagers should be something they decide to do together. They were a team, not a one-woman act.

“Yet you took them in anyway,” Sola frowned.

“Because they were homeless.”

“Padme,” Sola leaned back in her chair so she could try and peer into the living room where all the kids were. “They don’t look homeless to me.”

“It’s not like homeless people have it tattooed on their heads,” Padme rolled her eyes.

“The girl has manicured nails and professionally cut hair,” Sola started to list it all off. “And the boy looks perfectly healthy despite how fast he practically breathes in his food. Homeless children look far worse off than those two do. They’re far too healthy looking and . . . fresh to have come right off the streets.”

Padme froze. It was true, she’d dealt a lot with the homeless because of the war. Most were malnourished and beaten down, their skin sunken in on their cheeks and looking far more troubled than either the twins. Most children who lived on the streets had holes in their clothes and dirt on their bodies from the lack of clean water provided. Yet the twins were both perfectly healthy and Padme couldn’t deny that Leia was exceptionally groomed too, as if she'd come from money.

Had they lied to her? The thought was too horrible to bear. She'd opened up her heart to these children and the worry that they could've lied so they could use her was something Padme thought would break her heart.

“Don’t talk about things you have no proof of,” Padme suddenly stood up, taking a few plates to bring back to the kitchen. She left her family watching her in silence as she tried to clear her mind. Surely Luke and Leia weren’t lying? They’d broken into her apartment because they’d needed somewhere to sleep. Homeless people would do that! But what if they did have somewhere to sleep and they'd used that lie as a cover?

“Padme,” Anakin’s voice made her jump, the plates in her hand almost smashing on the floor had her husband not used the Force to make them float back up and onto one of the passing serving droids hands. “Talk to me.”

“What if Sola’s right?” Padme couldn’t help but stress, her eyes widening and filling up with tears. She didn’t know why it felt like such a betrayal if the twins had lied but the thought hurt. “What if they lied?”

“You don’t know if they have.”

“Leia looks so prim and proper and Luke doesn’t look like a starving boy!” Padme’s lip wobbled. “What if they’re not homeless and i’ve just been gullible this whole time!”

Anakin wrapped his arms around her, sighing. “Then you wouldn’t be the only one. After your family leave, we’ll talk to Luke and Leia.”

Padme just nodded, dreading that moment.

* * *

Two hours later, Padme’s family all huddled together for a large group of cuddles and kisses as they prepared to leave. Pooja and Ryoo were fast asleep, one in Darred’s arms and the other in Sola’s.

“Please do call more often sweetheart,” Jobal kissed her daughter’s cheek, looking suddenly emotional. “We do miss you.”

“I miss you too Mom,” Padme smiled before giving her Dad a large hug. “Love you Papa.”

“You’ll always be my little girl,” Ruwee looked sad. “Even when you’re here acting far older than even I feel.”

Padme giggled as she gave Sola a hug, gently pressing kisses on both her nieces' heads as they all grabbed their cloaks to leave.

“Stay safe, son,” Ruwee spoke with such seriousness to Anakin as he shook his hand. “I find myself checking the news far more often than I like, fearing the worst news whenever I see your name pop up.”

“Of course sir,” Anakin sounded touched. “Have a safe flight.”

“Goodbye Anakin,” Jobal gave him a hug. It seemed that despite none of Padme’s family knowing their daughter and sister was married to the man in front of him, they’d practically invited him into the family. “I hope to see you again soon.”

“And you,” Anakin waved, making sure to stand a good enough distance from Padme as he watched them leave.

“It was nice meeting you,” Jobal smiled at the twins. For a second she thought she were looking at a teenage version of Padme as Leia smiled but she brushed the thought away. Such things were impossible.

“I hope to see you again,” Leia bit her lip as her grandmother walked away. She wanted to reach out and pull the woman into a hug and tell her everything. Leia wanted to tell her grandmother the truth and see that look of love reserved only for Pooja and Ryoo to be casted upon her for once. She’d never had a grandmother but suddenly Leia felt like she’d been missing out all her life.

“Goodbye,” Luke waved awkwardly, wishing they’d given him and Leia a big before they’d left. The elevator door closed on Padme’s family and silence surrounded the apartment.

“They seemed nice, you should have them over more often—“

“Sit,” Anakin pointed to the sofa, interrupting Leia’s words.

“What’s the matter?” Luke frowned, not liking his Dad’s angry tones. “Why’re you—“

“Sit,” their father repeated, looking angry. “Now.”

Padme placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder, calming him down. “We need to talk to you. Please, sit.”

The twins took a seat, looking up at their parents with confusion and anxiety. Was something bad going to happen? Were they going to be kicked out? Whilst they knew they weren’t going to move in with their mother any time soon (that would be funny to explain when she actually gives birth to the infant versions of the teenagers who lived with her), having a secured place to stay whilst they were in the past came in handy. They had no idea where they’d go if Padme sent them away. To the Temple? Leia cringed at the thought.

“Uh, what’s going on?” Leia frowned. “Why do I feel like i’m in trouble?”

“You’re not homeless,” Anakin cut to the chase, framing the words more like an accusation rather than a question. Leia squirmed uncomfortably, feeling as if she were being intimidated. There was no black mask upon his face and his breathing didn't echo around the room but Leia suddenly felt as if Darth Vader were standing before her.

“What!”

“Anakin,” Padme hissed. “We just want the truth,” Padme remained calm as she talked to the twins. “I believed your story so readily when you told me about being homeless but lately, I can’t deny certain facts that lead me to believe you weren’t truthful to me when we first met.”

“What facts are they?” Luke scratched his head, trying his best to stop fidgeting as their lie caught up to them. He was the worst liar and he tried not to look at his father as he squirmed. Vader had always been able to see right through Luke.

“Neither of you look unhealthy,” Padme tried to reason. “You look well cared for. Leia, in fact, has manicured nails and professionally cut hair.”

“I’ll take that compliment,” Leia shrugged.

Padme ignored her. “Luke, the clothes you arrived in are expensive. I saw them last night when you went to bed, the tunic alone is at least a few thousand! I desperately want to believe you but I need to know the truth.”

Luke bit his lip, finally caving. “Okay we lied.”

“Luke!” Leia turned to her brother, a look of anger crossing her face at how breezily he admitted the lie. She slapped his shoulder, making him wince. “Why’d you do that?”

“At least one of you is honest,” Anakin growled.

Padme looked heartbroken, no matter how she tried to hide it. “Why’d you lie?”

Luke turned from Leia, sitting up straight as he spoke. “We ran away. After being forced to leave Naboo, we had to live with new people since we're too young to live alone. The people our guardian had picked to look after us were on opposite sides of the Galaxy. They wanted to separate us. We'd lost so much that Leia and I refused to lose each other too, so we ran," Luke whispered, his eyes brimming with tears. “Technically we were homeless the night we broke in to your apartment but we were _newly_ homeless.”

Padme felt the pain at being lied to lessen as she took in the story Luke was telling. "Why didn't you just tell me? Why lie?"

"We didn't realise you would care," Leia spoke up, adopting a sad voice just like Luke had. Technically they weren't lying: she and Luke really had been separated and given the chance, they would have run away if they had been able. Despite knowing it wasn't a complete lie, guilt rammed itself into Leia's chest at having to mislead her mother for the second time. But it wasn't like they could admit to being their children from the future. "When we first met you, we never knew you would open your home up to us and treat us with such kindness."

Padme looked to Anakin, eyeing him with wide eyes in a silent plea for him to confirm or deny the twins' story. She desperately hoped that they weren't lying again. She wanted to trust them so badly that her heart ached.

"Why couldn't one of your guardian's friends have taken you both in?" Anakin's question seemed to confirm that he sensed no deceit from Luke and Leia. Yet he didn't stop glaring down at them, his hands crossed over his chest.

"They're too poor," Luke sighed-- again, it wasn't a lie. Owen and Beru had struggled to feed Luke's extra mouth in the 6 months he'd lived with them. He doubted they would've survived had Leia moved in too. "The option was be separated or run away. Given that you were taken from your mother as a child, can't you understand how desperate we were to stay together?"

Anakin bristled as the question but didn't deny it. When family was all you had, he knew what it felt like to want to keep it together.

"We're really sorry we lied," Leia looked at her mother, finding comfort that Padme's heartbreaking expression had ebbed away. "We didn't know how you would react if you'd known we'd only just started living on the streets. 

Padme moved forward, sitting on the sofa so she could pull Leia and Luke into a hug. The twins nestled into their mother's side, finding relief that she had seemingly forgiven them. "I accept your apology and I apologise myself for doubting you. My sister made a comment at dinner that I had to pursue. I'm glad that you two stuck together, even if it put you in a difficult situation."

"You don't think it was dumb?" Leia frowned, peering up at her mother's kind expression. "Even though we thought with our emotions and not with our heads?"

"Sometimes trusting your own judgement and your emotions is more important than thinking with your head," Anakin seemed to relax as well, his glare gone. Given that this man's emotions led to him becoming a feared Sith Lord, the twins took what he said with a grain of salt.

"So you're not mad at us?" Luke asked with a hopeful expression.

"No," Padme smiled, feeling like everything was back to normal again. "I wish you'd been completely honest with me but I understand why you weren't. And you weren't being entirely untruthful. I see no issues anymore. Perhaps we can have some Nubian tea before bed?"

The twins smiled and nodded, watching as Padme retreated to grab the beverage. ' _Luke_ ,' Leia watched as Anakin sat down on the sofa, grabbing the remote and changing it to some racing channel. It seemed that their moment of doubt had once again disappeared, leaving them both comfortable in the twins' company. ' _This might be the wrong time to ask but how did Vader find you?_ '

It was something Leia had been curious about ever since she'd realised he was living with the Sith Lord 4 and a half years ago. But they never got around to discussing it and whenever she brought it up, Luke always managed to evade the question. And now with them lying to their parents about their separation, Leia's curiosity piqued again.

' _Why you asking_?'

' _Why you evading the question?_ '

_Luke sighed. 'I'd been on Tatooine for 6 months and I hated it. The planet is just sand and heat-- there's nothing to do there and there's a death-trap everywhere you turn. I was dumb and I went exploring because I had nothing better to do. Uncle Owen always said to never stray too far from the farm but I ignored him.'_

' _You got lost didn't you_ ,' Leia had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Only Luke would decide to go exploring and get lost on a desert.

' _Yeah. I started hallucinating due to lack of water and I was dehydrated because of the sun. I didn't even realise that I was unconsciously reaching out with the Force as I went. I was practically delusional by the time Uncle Owen found me."_

 _'I never heard your calls in the Force_ ,' Leia frowned, thinking back to those 6 months as a fresh faced Princess. Everything had been so new and surreal; she had to admit that had Luke been calling out to her, given the time difference and all her added responsibilities, there was a chance she could've missed it. 

' _It turns out my calls in the Force had been directed to someone else: to our father. He turned up to the farm only a day or two later.'_

_'Did he kill Owen and Beru?'_

_'No but he made them swear to never contact me again otherwise he'd press charges of kidnapping upon them. He must've believed I'd grown up there for whenever he made a comment about my childhood, he always spoke of Tatooine.'_

Leia turned her eyes to Anakin, where he was sitting so calming as he watched the racing. It seemed unbelievable that in a few years time this man would be one of the scariest people alive. He'd kill without hesitation and tear families apart simply because he could. He'd be a servant of evil who was raising a young son as well as putting the fear of the Empire in the heart's of its civilians. Leia couldn't imagine Luke living in the Imperial Palace, being waited on hand and foot just like she had been on Alderaan. She couldn't imagine Luke and Vader sitting at a dinner table as Luke ate and Vader worked.

A flash of Luke's yellow eyes from her nightmare came to Leia's mind and she wondered if perhaps, had they not time-travelled, would her brother have been marked for death the day that Vader had found him on Tatooine? What would she have done if Luke had snitched and told Vader about her existence? 

There were so many what-ifs to their situation but the only one Leia cared about was: What if they managed to change the future?


	15. The Truth Part 1

Obi-Wan arrived back on Coruscant a little after midday, two days after Padme’s family left. The twins were sitting on Padme’s sofa, laughing at a Holofilm when the Jedi Master walked in, eyebrows raised.

“I see you two have made yourselves feel at home.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Leia and Luke on the sofa, sprawled out with no room left on opposite sides, junk food laying around them as something played on in the background.

Anakin appeared beside his Master, a look of annoyance on his face. For the most part he’d been staying at Padme’s apartment whilst Obi-Wan finished off his mission, watching over the twins when Padme was called to the Senate. He’d left early the morning Obi-Wan returned so he could greet his Master at the Temple, having told the twins to not make a mess before they arrived.

They hadn’t listened.

Padme’s usually tidy apartment looked like a junk-food bomb had hit the area. Wrappers were scattered everywhere, with crumbs littering the floor and there was smell the of teenage funk in the air. No matter how much their parents cleaned up after them at the end of each night, the twins still managed to wreck the area the next day.

It had been just last night that Padme had returned from a Senate meeting to find her sofa overturned as the twins ran around, throwing scrunched up wet paper towels at each other.

“Forgive the mess Master,” Anakin scowled at the twins, walking over to inspect the mess. When he’d left that morning, the room had been tidy but in the few short hours he’d been gone, they’d managed to once again cause a mess. “Is this what you’ve been eating?” Anakin inspected the empty bag of crisps and sweets. “Where did you even get this?”

“Threepio went on a food run,” Luke didn’t take his eyes off the Holoscreen as he shoved a handful of crisps from another bag in his mouth.

“You sent Senator Amidala’s droid on a _junk food_ run?” Anakin wasn’t sure whether to be mad or not. They’d purposely spent Padme’s money on rubbish food yet with them sitting here, it meant they were out of trouble.

“It took some convincing,” Leia shrugged. “But he did it in the end.”

“Get up,” Anakin sighed, deciding there was no use arguing over this. It seemed every second in Leia and Luke’s company seemed to bring him more and more of a headache. “You have a meeting with the Jedi Council.”

“Can we go after this?” Luke finally looked away from the screen. “It’s got another 15 minutes left.”

“How long have you been sitting here?” Anakin frowned.

“Since you left.”

“You’ve been watching the Holonet all day?!” Force, he was going to tear his hair out.

“Yeah, so?”

“Get up,” he ordered again. “We’re leaving now.”

“15 more minutes!”

Obi-Wan chuckled, finding it strangely amusing to see his old Padawan get so frustrated at the pair of teenagers. It felt oddly like karma for what he’d been put through. Anakin had never spent the whole day lazing on the sofa but he’d displayed the same stubborn behaviour the twins did now. It felt like retribution. 

“I’m sure the Council will be most pleased when we arrive late because you wanted to finish your film,” Obi-Wan spoke dryly.

“I’m sure they’ll understand,” Leia spoke with enthusiasm.

Anakin raised a hand, pointing it at the display where the Holofilm was playing. A second later the screen went black and the twins let out identical cries of annoyance.

“What was that for?”

“Put it back on!”

“I said we are leaving,” Anakin crossed his arms, giving them a sharp look. “Let’s go.”

“Force, you’re so mean!” Luke grumbled as he stood up, stretching his muscles as he went. He hadn’t realised how cramped he’d been on that sofa until just now.

“I hope you know we’ll never forgive you for this,” Leia pouted as she followed her brother. She brushed off a few crumbs, straightening her outfit as they walked to their father’s waiting speeder. It had been years since she'd been able to act her age and laze around with her brother. She'd never realised how much she'd had to give up when she adopted her Princess duties. Being the Alderaanian Princess, Leia often felt double her age most days.

A second after her words had been said, Leia paused. Perhaps in a perfect life, her father turning off the Holonet before her film finished really would be the worst thing he’d ever done to her. In reality though, he’d caused her far more pain than something as simple as that.

“Whatever,” Anakin sighed, climbing into the pilot side.

“I see your flair for the dramatics has rubbed off in the short time you’ve been together,” Obi-Wan teased. He was about to move to sit in the co-pilot seat but stopped short when he saw Luke already buckling in.

“What are you doing?” Anakin frowned at his unbeknownst son.

“Uh,” Luke looked like he didn’t understand. “Strapping myself in.”

“Sit in the back!” Their father sounded exasperated.

“But I always sit co-pilot!” Luke whined. It was just something he and his father did, Luke always sat co-pilot when Vader flew. It was like he were his father's wingman and Luke loved that feeling.

“Since when?” Anakin rolled his eyes. “Obi-Wan is sitting there. Move.”

Luke grumbled under his breath, climbing over the seat to the back rather than getting out. Anakin let out a noise when Luke’s foot hit him in the face as he went but the boy ignored him.

“You two better behave in front of the Council,” he warned when Obi-Wan strapped himself into the now vacated seat. “Or Force help me.”

The twins shared a look.

* * *

Leia and Luke stood outside the Jedi Council chambers, anxiously awaiting their time to get called in. They’d arrived at the Temple not long ago, their breaths taken away at the beauty once again, finally able to see it in the day light. In the warm glow of the sun, the modesty of the Temple was undermined by how it made the decor glow. It really was beautiful. And grand.

“What’s taking them so long?” Luke paced around in front of the two large doors to the chamber. Anakin and Obi-Wan had entered inside probably only a few minutes ago, having told the twins to wait outside, but impatient as ever Luke hated how long it seemed to take.

“Calm down,” Leia rolled her eyes, leaning on the wall by the doors. “Do you even _want_ to go in?”

“No!”

“Then why you complaining it’s taking so long?”

“Because I want it to be over with,” Luke sighed, throwing his head back like the wait was physically painful. He'd never perfected the art of patience; his father used to always say that Luke had an aversion to it.

“What do you think they’ll ask?” Leia sounded suddenly nervous.

“They'll probably ask who we are, who our guardian had been and why he hid us from them? And probably what our intentions here are.”

“Our intentions?”

“They’re probably wondering if we’re a threat to them,” Luke shrugged. He had to admit that it probably did look rather suspicious that two very Force sensitive teens had randomly showed up and befriended one of the Order's most powerful members. Would they think Luke and Leia were potentially Sith? Or working for the Separatists?

“A threat?”

“Well, two young untrained Force users have suddenly appeared out of nowhere,” Luke explained. “Not to mention we snuck onto a military flagship and have been in Anakin’s company for the past few days— it probably looks dodgy. And no one is going to jump to time travel immediately.”

“Do you think they’ll figure it out?” Leia bit her lip. “If they know who our father is, they might try to stop us being born!”

“How?”

“I don’t know,” Leia frowned. “Separate Anakin from mom?”

“He wouldn’t allow that,” Luke shook his head. “He’d leave the Order.” Whilst Vader had discouraged all talk of Luke's mother, he'd made sure the boy had known how much he'd loved her. Luke was sure that if it had ever come to it, his father would've chosen his mother over everything.

Leia could almost see it now: they’d walk in to see the Council, be exposed and then the Council would find some way to stop them being born! She eyed the double doors leading to the Council chambers, wondering if they were going to make a really huge mistake. Anxiety coursed through her veins as she remembered Obi-Wan's stories from their youth and how unforgiving the Council had seemed.

“We need to get out of here,” Leia rounded on Luke, her eyes wide and frantic. “We need to go before we get called in!”

Luke looked at her like she were crazy. “What? Why? Where are we supposed to go? Dad'll find us if we go back to Mom's-- and not to mention, he'll be mad.”

Leia shrugged, something itching in her to go. It was like a nagging feeling in her gut was telling her that this was going to end badly. Maybe she’d slip up on a lie or maybe Luke would fidget too much, giving it all away. She could almost see their father’s face when he discovered the twins were his children: a frown pulling his face down as he glared at them.

_Nope! She was not ready for that at all!_

“We’ll just stay around the Temple! Go for a tour, I don’t know! But I need to get a cool head before we do this!”

“Dad will find us sooner or later and we’ll just be back here; we can’t escape this Leia without taking a step away from Mom and Dad. He’ll just keep dragging us back to the Council if we don’t go now.”

“Luke please,” Leia felt breathless. “Just 5 minutes, that’s all I need.”

Her brother paused, noticing how agitated she was getting before nodding. “We’ll go on a quick walk,” he conceded.

Leia felt relief as they moved further and further away from the Council chambers. She’d spoken to almost a thousand Imperials and addressed many Senators in her life but for some reason the Jedi Council had her more on edge than all of that combined. Maybe it was because of how high she knew the stakes were? Or maybe it was because she knew that room of people were all powerful in the Force and would be able to see through her in ways Senators could not.

“I was thinking,” Luke suddenly spoke up as they roamed the corridors, moving further and further away from the dreaded Council. “Why don’t we just try and get Dad expelled?”

“What?” Leia shrieked, shying away when one of the passing Jedi looked at her sternly. It seemed the Temple was much like a library: all loud voices and fast movement were shunned. 

“If we do it secretly so he doesn’t know it’s us, we can potentially get him expelled. Problem sorted then.”

“How would that solve the problem?”

“Well, Dad’s not a Jedi,” Luke spoke slowly. “So he won’t turn, surely right?”

“Just because he would no longer be a Jedi doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have Jedi abilities. He could still become a Sith even if he isn’t bound by the Order.”

“But if he gets expelled, sure he’ll be sad for a while, but then he can publicise his marriage to Mom and settle down to have us. We’d be the perfect happy family.”

“Luke, you know a version of our father better than I do. Do you honestly think he would ‘ _be sad for a little while_ ’ or do you think he’d harbour a resentment and anger for getting kicked out? Getting expelled could potentially make him turn to the Dark Side faster.”

Luke sighed, turning the corridor with a slight grump. His frown disappeared when he realised they’d managed to stumble into the Jedi Library holding all the Jedi archives.

The hall was massive, resembling a monastery more than a library, with a simple yet grandeur design. There were dozens of archways on either side of the hall, all holding a million archives that glowed blue in the light. By each archway was a statue head of some of the greatest Jedi to have ever lived. The twins moved down with awe, looking at all the golden heads of Jedi they’d never meet.

“I just don’t know how we’re meant to stop him turning to the Dark Side,” Luke frowned, keeping his voice low as they passed a table of Padawan’s revising for whatever exams they had. “We still have a year before we’re born and he turns, what if we’re gone by then and he still turns anyway!”

An image of Luke, blood trickling down his chin and dripping to the floor as he looked at her with such anguish yet gratitude, whilst a metal rod was impaled in his gut, made Leia freeze.

“That’s not an option,” Leia shook her head. “We have to succeed.”

“But how?”

“I don’t know.”

“What if we tell him?” Luke looked like a lightbulb turned on in his brain. “We could explain everything and tell him not to kriff it up!”

“And what if he tells us we’re crazy,” Leia sighed. “Or he doesn’t believe us?”

“We’ll find a way to prove it!”

Leia sighed once more, turning to a shelf of Jedi Archives. “Do you think any of these will have advice on how to stop your father becoming evil and slaughtering all the Jedi?”

“How to stop your what becoming what and doing what?” A new voice sounded from behind the twins, making them jump. Standing with her arms crossed and a dark look on face, was Ahsoka Tano. “What’s going on? What are you talking about?”

“Ahsoka!” Leia tried to recover quickly, plastering a smile on her face. “It was just a joke, don’t worry about it!”

Luke was standing frozen beside her, eyes wide as a sickly hue covered his face.

Ahsoka didn’t seem to believe Leia, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer. Despite their close ages, Ahsoka was still slightly taller than the twins. “Talking about slaughtering the Jedi is no joke.”

Leia bit her lip. “No, of course. Sorry.”

“And what’s this about your father?” Ahsoka continued on, frowning heavily. “I thought you were orphans! Have you been _lying_?”

The twins shared a look, both looking at the other like they’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

‘ _We should just tell her the truth!_ ’ Luke spoke through their bond.

‘ _No Luke_!’

‘ _If we don’t she’ll just tell Dad about what she heard and that’ll complicate everything!’_

 _‘And telling her the truth won’t complicate things?_ ’ Leia stressed, tilting her head to the side slightly. ‘ _We can’t tell her!_ ’

‘ _She heard you Leia_!’ Luke hissed. _‘She heard you talk about Dad, about he’ll be evil and he’ll commit mass murder upon the Order! How can we not tell her now?’_

‘ _We’ll lie_!’ Leia became flustered. ‘ _We’ll say it was a dumb joke!’_

‘ _She won’t believe you!’_

Ahsoka had grown tired of the silence, giving the twins a disapproving look. “I think it’ll be best if I go find Master Skywalker; we can see if he’ll find your . . . joke funny.”

“No Ahsoka!” Leia yelled, getting various cries of ‘ _shh_ ’ from the Padawan’s as she grabbed the Togruta girl’s hand and pulled her into the archway where the Jedi Archives were.

“Let go!” Ahsoka managed to free herself once they were out of sight of people unless they walked past that particular archway. “What is going on?”

“We have something we need to tell you,” Luke spoke quickly, receiving an elbow punch from his sister. “Ow!”

“Luke no!”

“I’m going to go,” Ahsoka started to step backwards but Leia grabbed her hand again, sighing. She was eying the twins like they were crazy.

“Fine, we’ll tell you.” Leia conceded. “But you aren’t going to believe us.”

Ahsoka crossed her arms, giving them a look. “Try me.”

The twins shared a long gaze before taking in a deep breath and speaking at the same time: “We time travelled from the future.”

Ahsoka paused for a second before a smile crossed her face and she shook her head mirthlessly. “You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

Leia sighed, internally berating herself for making such a dumb comment. “It’s true Ahsoka, use the Force to confirm it if you need to. We time travelled from 16 years in the future. And it’s a dark future, we’re trying to change it.”

It seemed like the Padawan was humouring them as she frowned. “How dark?”

“The Republic is turned into a Galactic Empire, led by a Sith— that dark.”

“Impossible!” Ahsoka hissed. “The Jedi wouldn’t ever let that happen!”

“The Jedi are dead,” Luke spoke sadly. “Massacred all in one night. Those who did survive live in hiding.”

Ahsoka took a step back and for a second Leia thought she’d run away. “This isn’t true,” their father’s Padawan shook her head a million times. “You aren’t from the future! You can't be!”

“The Force brought us back here,” Leia tried to sound calm despite the turmoil in her head. “We don’t know how or why but we’re not from here. We’re sorry for lying to you but I hope you understand why.” When Ahsoka didn’t reply, Leia carried on. “And truthfully, our names aren’t Leia and Luke Benjamin. Legally, my name is Leia Organa: Princess Leia Organa, in fact.”

“And i’m Luke Vader,” her brother added. “But before that, our birth names, which we went by for 10 years, were Luke and Leia Skywalker.”

If Ahsoka could look more shocked, she would look mind-blown right now. “What? Are you trying to tell me you’re Anakin’s kids?”

“Yeah,” Leia nodded. “Our mother is—“

“Padme,” Ahsoka finished before they could tell her. It seemed their parents weren’t as sneaky about their relationship as they’d thought. Or maybe Leia’s entire appearance gave that away. The twins just nodded.

Ahsoka paused for a second and the twins could feel her stretching out with the Force, searching for any lies. When she found none, the Padawan bit her lip, looking at the twins like she were seeing them properly for the first time. “You aren’t lying. You really are Skyguy’s kids. You’re Skyguy Juniors.”

Despite the situation, Leia and Luke smiled. They’d never been called that before. Maybe in a better life it would've been a common occurrence to hear such a nickname from Ahsoka's lips. 

Ahsoka grew more serious. “You say the Republic is turned into an Empire? Ruled by a Sith? How could that be?”

“We were newborns when the Empire comes to be,” Leia explained. “The specifics of the government change is a little hazy to us; the Empire has a very tight censorship so everything we're taught is more likely lies. All we know is that the Sith Lord who becomes Emperor orchestrates the whole War so he can form the Empire.”

“That’s impossible,” Ahsoka frowned. She looked like someone had just ripped the floor from underneath her and her usually tan skin was starting to look a little green. "Orchestrating the war? So the Jedi have been pawns?"

Luke sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. The Emperor rules with an iron fist. He’s a sleemo of a monster; I remember the first time I met him, I just felt so cold and grossed out! He has the ability of making you feel like there's no hope in the Galaxy. Like there's only darkness.”

“You’ve met him?”

“Luke lives in the Imperial Palace,” Leia spoke as if that had any meaning on Ahsoka. “Oh, uh, that’s where the Emperor lives in the future.”

“And you live with the Emperor, why?” Ahsoka looked taken aback. “You live with a Sith!”

“Actually I live with two,” Luke shrugged, trying to make it seem like no big deal. To Ahsoka, living with a Sith Lord sounded like a nightmare scenario but for Luke, it was his everyday life. “But the Palace is so large there’s no chance of me bumping into the Emperor of Darkness.”

“Why is Anakin’s _son_ living with a Sith?” Ahsoka hissed. "My Master would never allow that!"

“So you believe us?” Leia couldn’t help the happy feeling that spread to her chest.

“Yes,” Ahsoka admitted. “The Force wills me to accept your truths. And in all honesty, even if I couldn’t use the Force I would probably believe you simply because you do look like clones of your parents. Force, I _knew_ you must be related to Anakin in some way!”

Leia laughed, “I’m glad you believe us. It’s been so hard keeping the secret.”

Ahsoka uncrossed her arms, chuckling. “I bet. It must be weird to see your Mom and Dad and have them not know who you are. Although, I bet you love the freedom of not getting constantly told off for your bad behaviour.”

“Actually,” Luke paused. “It’s been nice to just spend time with them.”

“What happens to them?” The Togrutan suddenly grew anxious, no doubt fearing for the fate of her friends. “If you’re living with a Sith then something bad must’ve happened. Anakin would never allow his son to live with a Sith! Neither would Padme! And how come you only went by Skywalker for 10 years? Why are you now Princess Leia Organa? Bail adopted you— why? And _Vader_? What the hell does that even _mean_? No, no, no . . . you said all the Jedi were massacred in one night-- no, Anakin couldn't . . . he can't be . . ." Ahsoka paused, taking in a deep breath as her words hitched: "Is he dead?"

“Ahsoka!” Leia hissed, watching as the girl became hysterical. Honestly, Leia could relate; she felt like freaking out herself right now but doing so would cause no good. “We’ll explain, just shut up and let us. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“In about a years time,” Leia did all she could to explain as clearly as possible. “Our mother will be heavily pregnant with us. The War will nearly be over and the Sith will be pulling the strings from both sides. He'll issue a command to all the Clones and the Jedi Purge will begin—“

“What?” Ahsoka’s eyes were wide. “The Clones would never!”

“They would and they did! I don't know much, our guardian only knew the face-value version of it. Apparently the Clones were issued with some sort of inhibitor chip in their brain and when the Sith gave the command, all Clones were forced to turn on the Jedi. They were bred for it. There was a massacre of Jedi across the Galaxy and on Coruscant, the Emperor's new apprentice stormed into the Temple and slaughtered everyone there.”

“Shortly after the Empire was formed,” Luke carried on. “Our mother gave birth to us . . . and she died.”

“Padme, no,” Ahsoka looked to be in pain. “I’m so sorry.”

Leia blinked away tears as Luke continued. “Obi-Wan, one of the only survivors, took us to Naboo where he raised us for 10 years. He shielded our Force presence from the Sith and allowed us to live a life away from the tyrannical rule of the Empire. But when we were 10, either we got too powerful for him to shield us or he became too paranoid we’d be found, for we got separated.”

“Obi-Wan took you in? He split you up?”

“For our protection,” Leia clarified. She didn’t like the fact Luke had been taken from her but she felt the urge to justify Obi-Wan’s decision. “I got adopted by Bail Organa, becoming Princess and Luke went to live on Tatooine with the remaining family of Anakin’s mother, Shmi.”

“Where's Anakin in all this?” Ahsoka bit her lip. “So he did die in the massacre? I can't believe Rex would ever be able to do such a horrible thing!”

The twins ignored her question. “A little over 6 months after I moved to Tatooine,” Luke continued. “The Emperor's apprentice, Darth Vader, found me and he brought me back to Coruscant. He was the Sith who'd turned to the Dark Side at the formation of the Empire and helped kill all the Jedi.”

“You’re being trained by the Sith?” Ahsoka took a step back. Luke noticed her hands hesitantly moved to the lightsabers on her belt.

“No,” Luke shook his head. “The Emperor's plan is for me to be trained when I'm older; I think he believes children trained in the Dark Side are unpredictable. I was hoping Vader would decide not to train me, however.”

Again, the image of her brother’s dull and dead eyes filled Leia’s vision. She brushed it away. No was not the time.

“You still haven't mentioned Anakin,” Ahsoka asked again. “What happened to my Master?”

Leia took in a deep breath, sharing a look with Luke. This was the hardest part to say. Even admitting it sounded painful. She wondered if Ahsoka would even believe them; the man she knew, the blonde eyed hero who trained her, was so unlike the murderous Sith the twins knew he'd become.

“Ahsoka . . . Anakin _is_ Darth Vader.”

“What? No! He would never fall to the Dark Side!” The girl looked stricken. The green look returned and she stumbled back with wide eyes. Tears welled up and Ahsoka stared at the twins like they'd just slapped her.

“Trust me,” Luke felt sick. “I live with him, he’s my Father. He’s not truly my real father but he’s a version of him. There's good in him, I know it! The man I've spending time with these past few days bears so many similarities to the Sith he'll be. I know there's hope to save him!”

"We don't know why he falls," Leia carried on even though Ahsoka's expression was begging for her to stop. "Obi-Wan never knew either; he believed it had something to do with our mother but whatever that was, we don't know. She died because of Anakin's actions and we were essentially left orphaned. He becomes a monster of the man that you know today and he'll commit so many devastatingly vile actions in the near future. Luke and I are trying to stop that from happening."

"We want to save our Dad's soul before he even turns," Luke added. "I want to live with my true Dad, not a bad tempered, murderous version of him. I," he looked at Leia for a second. "We--"

Leia sighed. "We just don't know how to achieve that."

Ahsoka paused for a second, contemplating all they said before nodding quickly. She still looked slightly sick and there was a lump in her throat as she spoke. “I’ll help. Just tell me everything me one thing.”

"Anything."

"Who in all Corellian hells is the Emperor? Which twister monster converts my Master to the Sith? Who brings so much darkness to the Galaxy?"

". . . Sheev Palpatine."

Judging from the broken expression Ahsoka let cross her face, the twins knew that wasn't the name she'd been expecting. And despite the difficult conversation they'd just had, for the first time since arriving in the past, the twins didn’t feel so alone.


	16. The Jedi Council

The twins wandered the Jedi Temple halls feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from their shoulders. With the truth exposed to Ahsoka, it meant they now had an inside view on the time-line they were stuck in and knew next-to-nothing about. Which was a good thing too considering Ahsoka had been able to divulge information about the future Emperor that Luke and Leia had never known. Obi-Wan had only ever mentioned Palpatine's relationship with Anakin in passing, never wanting to dwell on it, but Ahsoka had explained that Palpatine was practically a father figure to their own father. He was someone Anakin sought council from and unloaded his fears onto. 

To say their father had been manipulated was an understatement. He'd been practically groomed for the role he was playing in the twins real time-line.

“We should probably head back to the Council chambers,” Luke sighed, rubbing his face with obvious fatigue. Despite how good it felt to tell someone the truth, recounting the devastating events of the future and their family’s destruction was hard. It drained all of Luke’s energy to reveal the horrors that would occur in only a short amount of time.

“No,” Leia shook her head, chewing on her lip. Her mind was whirring too much now that Ahsoka knew the truth. As much as she twisted Ahsoka, she couldn't help the fact her mind was playing out multiple scenarios that could occur: perhaps Ahsoka would snitch or lock them up in a mental institution. “Let’s explore some more.”

“Leia, we should’ve faced the Council ages ago! We can’t run from this forever!” They'd left the library and Ahsoka a short while ago, the older teen having claimed that she'd needed to rest after hearing all Luke and Leia had said about the future.

“Why not?”

“Where is the fiery attitude you normally have?” Luke rounded on his sister, eyebrows shooting up. “You're normally running into conflicting situations like this with your head held high. The sister I knew when I was 10 would’ve barged into the Jedi Council by now and told them all to kriff off!”

“I’m not _10_ anymore Luke!” Leia glared at her brother, feeling anger rise up in her chest. “That’s the problem! I’m not the cute 10 year old who had a spit-fire personality— i’m now a Princess who understands that life _sucks_ and those people in there, the Jedi Council, can make our lives a living hell. Actually, if they work out the truth they could potentially end our lives all together!”

“They won’t figure it out.”

“And how are you so sure?” Leia leant on a wall, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Because we’re too stubborn,” her brother teased. “It’ll be fine, trust me. We’ll stick it to the Council.”

Leia was about to reply when her back nudged a door control, sending the door beside her shooting open. She exchanged a look with Luke before slowly walking inside what seemed to be a Jedi’s quarters. It was rather small, with little to no furniture decorating the space. There was a little living area that led towards two bedrooms; one was empty whilst the other was still clearly occupied. All the colours were beige and everything in the room was spotless: no mess, made bed and clean floor.

“This is how the Jedi live?” Luke scrunched up his nose as he stepped inside. He moved to the wardrobe, looking inside to see multiple cream tunics and pants that were all identical in style and shape. “Seems pretty dull to me.”

“Jedi are not allowed to have possessions, young one,” a familiar voice sounded from the doorway. Both of the twins jumped, looking behind them in the shock. Obi-Wan stood there, arms crossed with an unimpressed look on his face.

“Obi-Wan!” Leia let out a small sigh, her anxiousness melting when she recognised who it was. Their old guardian had always been able to tell when the twins were up to no good. They’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar far more times than either liked to admit.

For a second, both Leia and Luke felt like children again, getting busted by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“How did you know where we were?” Luke recovered quickly, trying to plaster an innocent expression on his face.

“Truthfully, i’ve checked everywhere for you,” Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, stepping more inside the room. “I went to the Hangar Bay, the canteen and even Anakin’s quarters. I tried to find you in the Force and it brought me here.”

“This is your room?” Leia frowned, looking around the room once more. She’d always known Obi-Wan was neat but the man she’d known had left a few things lying around once in a while. This room was practically so spotless that it didn’t look like anyone lived here. (Leia wondered if the stress of raising two Force-sensitive children was what made him leave behind his OCD habits).

“Yes,” Obi-Wan nodded. “You don’t like it?”

“It’s a bit . . . clean,” Luke ran his finger over the desk, not surprised when it came back completely clear of dust.

“Like I said: Jedi are not allowed to have possessions. And a clean room helps for a—“

“Clean mind,” the twins finished, cutting over him. They’d heard the phrase so often growing up that it felt imbedded into their brains.

Obi-Wan frowned, looking perplexed. “. . . Yes. I suppose it’s a common saying.”

“Are the Council mad?” Leia cringed when Obi-Wan ushered them out his room. She cringed when Obi-Wan gave her his usual ‘ _what do you think_ ’ look.

Standing beside him now as they walked through the Jedi Temple, Leia was hit by how much she’d missed her former guardian. He’d been the only father figure she’d ever known before Bail and he’d loved her just as much as she was sure Anakin would’ve. Obi-Wan had been the man who'd fed her as a baby, taught her to walk and talk and ride a bike on Naboo’s streets; he’d plaited her hair every day before school and packed her lunches.

Being separated had been hard but Leia had been so hung up on the fact that Luke had been torn away from her, the pain of losing Obi-Wan had been slightly muffled. But here he was now, with no idea who she was or the life they’d led, and Leia found herself desperately missing the man who’d read her bedtime stories and laughed at her childish jokes.

“They’re not pleased,” Obi-Wan didn’t comment any further. The twins shared a look behind his back, cringing. They both knew that he always got quiet when he was mad.

“Are you mad?” Luke asked the obvious.

“I am not pleased,” Obi-Wan didn’t elaborate.

“We just got scared,” Leia tried to justify their actions. “The Council are intimidating; we didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

Their former guardian paused, sighing heavily. “Truthfully, given your past antics, it was foolish of me to expect you to wait patiently outside the Chambers. It is not a good introduction but no one is truly mad. I’m disappointed, sure, but I half-expected this.”

“Don’t say that,” Luke whined. “Being disappointed is _ten times worse_ than being mad!”

“Then perhaps you should start acting your age,” Obi-Wan shot back.

“We’re 15,” Leia rolled her eyes. “We’re not even in the peak of teenage rebellion yet. I think we’re acting our age just fine!”

Obi-Wan looked ready to argue but released his temporary anger to the Force seconds later. “Let’s not get in to this now. The Council are expecting you.”

They carried on walking in silence with the twins recognising where they were in the Temple. It wouldn’t be long till they stood outside the Chamber doors.

“Do you like being a Jedi?” Leia asked suddenly, eyeing Obi-Wan out of the corner of her eye. She knew his answer would be yes but she knew something that this man was refusing: his heart had so much love to give. Obi-Wan had been raised from a baby to follow the Jedi code yet the second Anakin and the twins had come into his life, he’d thrown all that to the wind.

The man before them was a Jedi through and through yet both Leia and Luke knew he had more to give.

“Like is a vague term,” Obi-Wan spoke as cryptically as ever. “Being a Jedi has few rewards yet it is an honourable occupation.”

“What’s the war like?” Luke chipped in.

“It is everything you imagine a war to be but worse.”

Leia frowned at Obi-Wan; he was the man she knew but also a complete stranger. The kindness he always harboured was there but it wasn’t a kindness fuelled by love. He had no idea who Luke and Leia were. He had no idea that he’d changed their nappies and sung them to sleep and kissed their bruises.

To him, unlike Anakin and Padme, there was no connection shared because the connection they’d had in the future had been born through nurture not nature. Their parents felt an innate desire to protect the twins because, despite how crazy it must’ve felt, a small part of them knew that Leia and Luke were special and something from a part of them. Obi-Wan, however much he’d loved the twins as he’d raised them, didn’t feel the same way as there was no biological drive there.

In the same way that Leia and Luke weren’t born yet in this time, the Obi-Wan they’d known wasn’t born yet either. He wasn't a man born from his brother's betrayals yet.

“Here we are,” Obi-Wan gestured to the Council Chambers, the large double doors looming over all of them. “Inside you go.”

Just as he’d said it, the doors opened with a loud sound with their father walking out. Anakin had a massive frown on his face, anger written on his features as he took in the sight of the twins beside Obi-Wan.

“I see you found them Master. Where have you been?” Anakin hissed, rounding on the twins. “You were summoned inside 25 minutes ago! Obi-Wan and I came out to get you and you were gone! Where did you go?”

“For a walk,” Leia put simply as they approached him. She felt much calmer about standing before the Council now that she’d had time to cool down. Even if the Council did discover the truth about their parentage, Leia knew their father’s Padawan would fight every step of the way for them. It felt nice to have someone having your back.

“A walk,” Anakin spoke dryly, continuing to frown. “Well congratulations, you’ve succeeded in setting a bad impression upon the Council for disappearing. They’re expecting you now, so come along.”

“Do we have to do this?” Luke whined as Anakin moved to open the double doors and lead them inside.

The Jedi Knight sighed. “Yes. There is nothing to be afraid of, alright? They’re just curious about who you are and where you came from. I’ll be with you the entire time, okay?”

 _Let’s get it over with_ , Leia decided as she followed her father and brother into the Council chambers. Being in one of the Temple’s circular towers, the chamber was circular in shape with walls made entirely of glass, meaning it held a perfect view of Coruscant below them. Speeders whizzed around outside as the sun shined through, sending a warm glow through the room.

There were at least a dozen seats, all varying in size and style, formed into a circle as the twins stood in the middle. In all honesty, the layout was rather strange given they had no idea where they were supposed to look. The members of the Council seemed to notice their apprehension.

“Do not feel fear young ones,” Obi-Wan whispered as he walked past them to take his own seat. The twins watched in shock as he sat down; _he’d never told them he’d been on the Council!_

“We’re not scared,” Leia rebuked, standing up straighter as she cleared her throat. She willed herself to be brave when facing possibly the most intimating people she’d ever met. These Jedi, all staring at her like she were meat in a market, made Tarkin look like an angel!

What had Luke said earlier? _They’d stick it to the Jedi_.

In a way, this was just like an act. They were playing the part of two troublesome teenagers with considerable Force abilities whose parents were nobodies. Leia sucked in a deep breath, trying to convince herself that this was all just one big show.

“What are your names?” A dark-skinned man with a bald head, suddenly spoke up. There was a scowl on his face like he’d already decided he didn’t like them.

“Luke and Leia Benjamin, sir,” Luke promptly answered.

“Force Sensitive, you are,” a green Jedi hummed. He was goblin-like with pointy ears and a deep, croaky voice. Despite his small appearance, the twins knew he was a force to be reckoned with.

“Yes sir.” There was no denying it.

“Yet untrained,” the green Jedi carried on. “Your abilities hidden, so Knight Skywalker says.”

“Yes sir.”

“You were hidden from the Order,” a female spoke up. She was a Togruta like Ahsoka, her montals far longer than the Padawan’s and her face an oblong shape. “Why is that?”

“Our guardian didn’t want us to be Jedi,” Leia half-lied. It was true they’d been hidden but the reason for such had been to hide from the Sith. Yet Obi-Wan had dropped many hints during their childhood that he hadn’t wanted the children to become Jedi. Or at least, not Jedi of this Order.

“Becoming part of the Order is your birthright,” the baldheaded man with the scowl spoke up again. He was staring at the twins like he saw through their lie. He didn't seem very friendly.

“From a certain point of view, maybe,” Leia shrugged. “Using the Force is our birthright, sure, but what we decide to do with that power and where our allegiance lies, is our own decision.”

“You do not wish to be Jedi,” the Togruta woman looked curiously at them. Her words were framed like a statement, not a question.

“No,” Leia answered honestly. “I do not.”

“Well,” Luke paused, fidgeting on the spot in a nervous manner. “I would.”

“What?” Leia turned to him, mouth open. This was the first she’d heard of this!

“I’ve always wanted to be a Jedi,” her brother explained, looking shy at the number of eyes on them. “I just don’t agree with the principles of the Jedi or the rules. That’s why our guardian didn’t want us to become Jedi, he didn’t want us to sell our souls to the organisation.”

Luke remembered one night, back after Obi-Wan had confessed to loving them despite the philosophies of the Order, he’d crawled into the man’s bed after Leia had fallen asleep. “ _Would you have made us become Jedi if Daddy hadn’t turned to the Dark Side?_ ” Luke had whispered, holding his guardian close.

Obi-Wan had been silent for a few seconds. “ _You would’ve been taken by the Order as babies, yes_.”

“ _And that would’ve meant no Leia— no Mommy and Daddy and no you?”_ Luke had been stricken, his child-like mind traumatised by the idea of an imaginary life that would’ve never come to pass. “ _They wouldn’t have allowed attachment like that!”_

“ _Luke_ ,” Obi-Wan had looked into the face of the boy who resembled his former Padawan so much. Sometimes Obi-Wan even forgot that it wasn’t Anakin he was talking to, the blue eyes of both father and son tricking him at times. “ _I’ve come to realise that the Order wasn’t perfect. Many of their rules and philosophies were out-dated and problematic. You do not have to worry about it though, you shall never become Jedi in the way of the old Order. You and Leia are powerful, i know that one day you’ll start a new Order— a better Order. One where attachment is allowed.”_

Luke blinked the memory away, looking around the Council. “Your philosophies are misguided.”

“Excuse me?” The bald man had been frowning before but now he was properly glaring, taking in Luke’s words like someone had just insulted him personally.

“Denying attachment is like asking people not to breathe,” Luke rolled his eyes, finding courage in his strong beliefs. “You expect Jedi to be compassionate yet don’t allow them to develop that compassion in relationships to others!”

“There is a difference between compassion and love,” a deep voiced Jedi spoke up from behind Luke. He looked a little like a shrimp, with a black box around where his mouth should be. “Attachment is forbidden in the deeper varieties.”

“But isn’t those attachments of the ‘ _deeper varieties_ ’ which make us human? Make us alive? You’re raising children but denying them love and care!”

“Our Padawans are not without care,” another woman spoke up. She had a square face and green skin, a black gown covering every inch of her body.

“What Luke is trying to say,” Leia stuck up for her brother. “Is that you’re trying to do the impossible: you’re raising children to be compassionate yet deny them love. You give them attachments— say between Master and Padawan— but then expect them to be stoic about it. You give a child a parental figure, after being denied it in childhood, and then expect them to just not get attached. It isn't possible!"

“There’s a fine line between everything,” Luke added. “And in this case, that line is blurred. It’s all hypocrisy.”

“Padawan’s know to not get attached. Master’s are constantly prepared for the worst.”

“So if your Padawan died, you wouldn’t care?” Leia frowned at the green woman, receiving an identical frown back.

“There is no death, young one,” the green woman shot back. “There is just the Force! And if the time came for my Padawan to pass to the Force, I am prepared to let her go.”

“You’re a robot,” Leia spat. “You preach compassion yet when it matters most, you don’t care.”

“Agitated, you are,” the small goblin Jedi spoke calmly. “Matters to you, a lot, this does.”

“Love is a driving factor for us,” Luke calmed himself down. “It guides me and my sister. My attachments help to define me. My sense of goodness comes from who I am and who I have around me. Taking that away leads to nothing but a shell of a person. You’re denying Padawan’s— and Knights— the ability to actually live.”

“Jedi are people too,” Leia added. “They deserve happiness.”

“And when that happiness is taken away— say by death,” the bald man continued to glare. “What then?”

“Then you allow them to grieve without feeling guilty for having such emotions. An effective support system is all Jedi need if you worry about them getting consumed by anger and fear.”

“Fear leads to hate and hate leads to the Dark Side,” the Togruta spoke up once more. “It is against the Jedi code to feel such things.”

“Fear is a natural emotion! And hate is bad, yes, but anger isn’t. Building up such emotions is more harmful than good.” She thought of Anakin and how he’d turned to the Dark Side because he’d had no one to talk to about his fears. He'd turned to Palpatine and then the man had manipulated those fears against him.

“Believe we are corrupt, you do,” the goblin hummed again.

“I think you’re blind,” Leia didn’t hold back. “You’re holding onto rules that are centuries old. Maybe being emotionless robots who don’t form attachments was helpful in the past but it is no longer applied now. How do you not even feel guilty about stealing children from their parents?”

“All citizens in the Republic understand that if their child is born Force sensitive, it is their birthright to be Jedi.”

“The Order is nothing but a government-backed kidnapping ring,” Leia glared at the bald man.

“That is a strong accusation,” Obi-Wan rubbed his beard. "No child is stolen from their homes."

“But you give the families no choice! You tell them that the child _has_ to be brought to the Temple for both their and the child's sakes! You take them from a loving family to raise them without love, without attachment, and now you force them to partake in a war. They’re kids and you have them on the front lines.”

“These are dark times,” the shrimp looking man didn’t sound offended as he spoke. “We’ve had to bend many rules to help bring this War to an end. The Jedi are peacekeepers, the events of the War has shifted that slightly.”

“You’re warriors. Training children to be killing machines like you. Just because you say it’s in the name of the Force doesn’t mean it’s right.”

It went silent for a few seconds as the Council deliberated upon their words. It wasn’t until the goblin-like Jedi stirred did everyone seem to break free from their thoughts.

“Test you, we want to.”

“Test us for what?” Luke grew nervous as he eyed a Jedi Master get out of his chair. The man was tall with cream like skin and a bald-round head. His neck was long like a giraffe.

“Your midi-chlorians,” Obi-Wan watched as the twins fingers were pricked and sent to the data analyser to tell their Force ability. “It tells us how strong you are in the Force.” Something in him told him it was going to be extremely high.

“Well, Master Poof? Their count?” The bald headed man seemed impatient.

“It reads at 0, Master,” the giraffe-like Jedi sounded shocked. “How can that be?”

“That’s impossible,” Anakin stepped forward, having been uncharacteristically silent through the twin’s argument. “They’re strong in the Force, I know it. How can they not have any ability at all?”

“Maybe you did it wrong?” Leia suggested, receiving a glare from the giraffe-like Jedi.

“How is this possible Master Yoda?” The bald headed man turned to the goblin-like Jedi.

“Sense, I do, strong Force presence,” Yoda hummed. “Odd, this is.”

‘ _Leia how come it came up as 0?_ ’ Luke fidgeted with his sleeve, talking nervously through their bond.

‘ _I guess because we haven’t actually been born_?’ She guessed. ‘ _I’m not truly sure_.’

“Do the test again!” One of the other Council members declared. The twins cringed as their fingers were pricked once more and tested.

“Still 0, Masters!”

“Again! It isn’t possible.”

“Run it once more!”

Leia snatched her hand away, frowning. “I don’t think the answer is going to change and pricking our fingers till we die from blood loss isn’t going to do anything to help that!”

“Use the Force,” the bald headed man sounded deadly serious. He pulled a data-pad out from his robes, holding it up for the twins to see. “Use the Force to grab this. Prove you do have abilities.”

“Why?” Luke frowned.

“Just do it.”

“No!” Luke continued to frown. “What good will that do? The test came out at 0, there’s nothing more to this. You knew we were untrained so why continue this on? Let us go.”

“Use the Force to grab it,” the bald headed man seemingly ignored Luke.

“We don’t know how!” Luke tried not to yell. “We were never taught—“

His words broke off when the data-pad was suddenly lifted up in the air. Luke watched in astonishment as Leia closed her eyes, her hand stretched out as she made the pad float slowly closer to them. When it was within arms reach, a sudden frown graced her features, her hand clenching into a fist and making the data-pad scrunch up and snap like it were no more a spare piece of paper getting torn apart.

“Leia,” Luke’s eyes were wide as he stared at his sister. They’d always been able to use the Force despite Obi-Wan constantly trying to get them to stop but after their separation, Luke hadn’t felt the urge to keep up on his practice. Leia, it seemed, had.

She opened her eyes, hand dropping as the destroyed data-pad followed suit. “Good talk,” she bowed sarcastically before turning on her heel and leaving. Luke stared after her for a second before awkwardly bowing and running after her.

“Dangerous, they are,” Yoda spoke once the twins had left. “Intentions, not clear, it is not.”

“Do you think they’re a threat?” Master Windu, the bald headed man, frowned.

“No,” Yoda put simply. “Opposite, they are.”

“They’re extremely powerful,” Obi-Wan continued to rub his beard. “Despite what the test says, they’ve got raw power. I fear there is more to their story than they’ve let on. We still don't know this guardian who hid them from the Jedi was.”

“Masters,” Anakin stepped forward, looking torn between staying and following the twins. “I wish to shadow the twins. I can keep an eye on them and keep them out of danger.”

“Very well Skywalker,” Windu nodded. “But you will report back immediately if something is amiss. We must be wary with them.”

Anakin nodded, turning to leave.

“In uncharted territory, we are,” Yoda hummed once Anakin had left. “Planning something, the Force is.”

The Council members shared a look of worry, wondering if the twins they’d just seen were about to bring either their destruction or salvation.


	17. Piloting Mishaps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important question in the end notes!

Anakin found the twins sitting in the Jedi canteen a little over 10 minutes after they first left. He figured if there was anywhere in the Temple that the twins would go, it would be the place serving food. Finding the twins digging into some sort of sugary treat wasn’t surprising but spotting Ahsoka sitting opposite them was.

“And then Leia made the data-pad float in the air,” Luke was recounting their argument with the Jedi to the Padawan, his eyes wide and full of amusement as he finished whatever pudding cup he was eating. “And she smashed it!”

“Smashed it?” Ahsoka didn’t look as amused.

“With the Force,” Leia shrugged, not appearing to be caring much as she placed her half-eaten pudding cup down. “I was getting bored of the conversation honestly.”

“You should be more careful,” Anakin’s Padawan spoke in a quiet voice, leaning forward in a conspiracy sort of way. “You don’t want to make enemies of the Jedi, it will only further complicate things—“

“Trying to talk sense into them Snips?” Anakin voiced as he approached them. They all seemed shocked at his presence, their eyes widening for a second. He decided to ignore the guilty expression on Ahsoka’s face. “Don’t bother, they won’t listen.”

“We’re sorry if we embarrassed you in front of the Council,” Luke apologised as their father sat down beside his Padawan. “We didn’t go in there to argue with them.”

“What you said is more or less true,” Anakin shrugged. “I don’t condone your behaviour or how you acted but your words had a ring of truth— even if the Council doesn’t wish to see it.”

“You think the attachment rule is wack too,” Leia smirked. Luke reached for her half-eaten pudding cup, making Leia slap his hand away. “Luke!”

“You aren’t eating it!” Her brother whined.

Just to spite him, Leia picked up her spoon and dig it into the pudding. She took a large bite, making eye contact with her brother as she did so.

“You two are like little menaces,” Anakin rolled his eyes. Ahsoka had a look of delight upon her face, no doubt thinking it was ironic that the twins were actually Anakin’s children and the childish behaviour they displayed was no doubt some Skywalker trait.

“What’s going to happen to us now?” Leia asked as she finished her pudding. “Are we in trouble?”

“Truthfully, nothing is happening,” their father sighed. “Lucky for me i’ve been assigned to keep watch over you. So please keep your reckless antics to a minimum— I don’t plan to go grey until i’m nearing my 50s.”

“You aren’t 50 now?” Leia teased. “Maybe you should moisturise more often.”

Anakin rolled his eyes, placing his head in his hands as he groaned. “This is a mistake.”

“Come on, we’ll have fun!” Luke beamed.

“I think your definition of fun is different to mine.”

“Are we staying with Padme still?” Leia tried to ignore how Ahsoka was smiling at the way the twins engaged with their father. No doubt she was loving their banter with who she knew was their biological parent.

“Given my quarters in the Temple won’t be big enough for all 3 of us,” Anakin nodded. “Yes.”

“Can we see your quarters?” Luke seemed suddenly curious. “Please?”

“It’s just a small room with a bed,” Anakin frowned. “The Jedi aren’t big on possessions.”

Luke paused for a second; he felt the desire to be close to his Father. In their real timeline, Vader was either so busy ruling the Empire or brewing in the Dark Side to pay attention to Luke. In the few days that Luke had been with Anakin, he’d probably spent more time with him than Luke had with Vader for months.

“Can you teach me to fly?” The question was out Luke’s mouth faster than he could stop it. Flying was something he’d always loved yet Obi-Wan had never allowed him near the speeder controls on Naboo and Vader always told Luke he was too young on Coruscant. The only time he’d ever flown was when he’d taken the land-speeder out for a joyride on Tatooine, resulting in a very angry Owen.

But with the Coruscant age limit on flying with a licensed adult being 15, Luke knew he was legally able to fly now. The only reason he hadn’t begged Vader to teach him was because he knew the man would say no for he had no time.

But Anakin did.

“What?”

“I’m 15, that’s Coruscant’s legal age for flying now! Please! I already know how to use the controls, i’ve flown before. I just need more practice and help.”

“I don’t think taking you out for joyrides is what the Council had in mind for me supervising you.”

“Would they be surprised though?” Ahsoka teased.

“Please! No one else will ever teach me,” Luke hated how vulnerable he sounded. But he was desperate to learn and the man before him was his father.

Anakin looked conflicted. Luke thought he would say no when he suddenly sighed. “Fine, but not for long! And we’ll be sticking to less busy areas of traffic, you hear me?”

Luke couldn’t help but smile like someone had given him a million credits.

* * *

Half an hour later, Anakin was buckling himself into the co-pilot seat of his favourite speeder as Luke bounced around in the pilot seat, his fingers twitching to hold the controls. Leia was looking nervous in the back, her seat restraints buckled as tight as they would go.

“You sure you want to miss this?” Anakin joked to Ahsoka as his Padawan passed up the opportunity. “I’m sure it’s going to get fun.”

“I think i would like to live to see my 17th birthday, Master,” Ahsoka replied. “Have fun though.”

“Hey! I won’t be that bad!” Luke yelled after her as she walked back into the Temple. “Can we go now?” He turned eagerly to Anakin.

“Buckle yourself up, Padme will kill me if you get even more injured.” Luke did as he was told, pressing the button to start the speeder’s engine. “Okay, you know the controls right? Left here, right there, acceleration, braking, shields etc.”

“Yep!” Luke nodded, pitching the speeder so it went up in the air.

“Stay slow,” Anakin warned when Luke began to increase the speed. “And stick to that traffic lane, it doesn’t look as busy.” He pointed to Luke’s left. “How you holding up Leia?”

“I’m feeling like i’m going to die!”

Luke frowned, merging in with the traffic with all the ease of a boy who loved flying. “Have some faith Leia!”

“Luke, your sense of direction is literally the worst in the Galaxy,” Leia mumbled, holding on to the seat like they were about to crash. “And you have the concentration of a Gungan!”

“Well he’s paying attention now,” Anakin tried to brush off the nervousness taking over. “Watch out for incoming speeders— like that one!” A speeder came whizzing on their left and Luke suddenly lurched right to avoid it, making him cut off another speeder in a different lane. They honked him as they flew over, making crude symbols.

“Luke!” Leia screamed. “You idiot!”

“That speeder came out of nowhere!” Luke argued.

“Because you weren’t looking!” Anakin shot back. “You almost crashed into the guy on the right! And now we’re in the fast-traffic lane. Increase your speed.”

“Can we go back to the slow lane?” Leia sounded like she would rather be anywhere else in the Galaxy right now. “I liked that lane!”

“Not unless you want to crash,” Anakin sighed as the slow lane broke off left and the fast lane, the one they were now stuck in, went right. “Just match everyone else’s speed Luke.”

“I can do this,” the boy mumbled but whether he was reassuring himself or the others he didn’t know.

“Don’t get too close to the speeder in front,” Anakin told him as Luke got so fast he was about to bump into those in front. “You’ll hit them!”

Luke slammed on the brakes, making the next few speeders behind swerve over and under him, yelling profanities. “Ahh!”

“What are you doing?” Anakin yelled. “Are you trying to kill us?”

“You said not to get so close!”

“That doesn’t mean slam on the brakes and hit those behind!”

“Be more clear!” Luke got agitated. Flying on Coruscant was definitely different to flying on Tatooine. There were thousands more speeders to worry about and it seemed like each second, a thousand more joined the traffic lane.

“Pitch up,” Anakin suddenly instructed. “There’s less speeders in the lane above. Don’t forget to indicate and merge.”

Luke did as he was told, managing to fit in without any issues.

“Well done,” Anakin wasn’t sure why he felt so proud at Luke’s achievement. “That was good.”

In the moment of feeling happy at his father’s praise, Luke managed to miss the fact that the traffic lights had suddenly gone red. By the time he noticed, it was already too late.

“Kriff!” Leia screamed from the back as a stream of speeders flew towards them, about to hit their right side.

“Ahh!” Luke hit the acceleration trying to cross the sky lane before the speeders could crash into them. All of them were honking and preparing to swerve as Luke blatantly broke skyway rules.

Anakin grabbed the controls, leaning over from the co-pilots side as the first wave of incoming speeders threatened to hit them. He used the Force to help navigate the speeder over and around each threatening obstacle until they were finally safe.

“What the kriff!” Anakin yelled, still holding the controls as he finally lost his temper. “You ran a red light! Were you even paying attention, Luke? We could’ve died!”

“I’m sorry!” Luke became emotional, tears welling up in his eyes as he felt shame and embarrassment fill him. All his life he’d wanted to be a pilot and he was screwing it up. Maybe he just wasn’t meant for this? “I didn’t see! I’m sorry!”

Flashing red and blue lights followed them, the piercing sound of the Coruscant police patrol filling the air. Anakin groaned as he led the speeder off to the side of the traffic lane, putting it into stationary mode as the police speeder stopped beside them.

“You just ran a red light,” the Clone dressed in police uniform didn’t look impressed. “License and registration please.”

Anakin handed over his identification, frowning.

“And the boy?”

“Look,” Anakin spoke calmly, preparing a lie. “The boy’s my son, i’m teaching him how to fly. This is his first attempt and let’s just say he’ll need more practice. We’re sorry for the problems, he doesn’t mean any harm.”

“I’m going to have to take him down for processing,” the Clone frowned.

Anakin sighed, waving his hand in front of the Clone’s face. “You will not take him down for processing.”

“I will not take him down for processing.”

“This was all just a mistake.”

“This was all just a mistake.”

“You won’t tell anyone what happened.”

“I won’t tell anyone what happened.” The Clone blinked, looking slightly dazed for a second. “I wish you and your son a good day— fly safe.”

Anakin watched as the police speeder flew away before turning to Luke. “Climb into the back next to Leia, i’m flying us back.”

Luke didn’t argue as he slipped into the seat beside his sister, a glum look crossing his face. He brushed away a few stray tears feeling like a complete failure. Leia slipped her hand into Luke’s feeling his despair and sadness as Anakin silently turned the speeder around and flew in the direction of Padme’s apartment.

When they landed, Luke attempted to run out but Anakin locked his side of the door. “Leia, can you give us a moment to talk?” Anakin twisted in his seat to address the girl. She nodded silently, squeezing Luke’s hand once more before climbing out.

“I’m sorry okay,” Luke became even more distressed as Anakin turned around in his seat to talk to the boy. His lip wobbled and tears slipped out his eyes as he fiercely tried to brush them away. All his life, Luke had thought he’d be a natural and yet here he was making a fool of himself. “I get it, i’m a terrible Pilot!”

“You aren’t a terrible Pilot Luke,” Anakin spoke with more softness than he knew he had. He didn’t know why but the boy brought out some sort of paternal feeling in him. “For the most part, you did well. Your merging was good and you know how to handle the controls.”

“But?” Luke sniffed.

“You’re reckless,” Anakin sighed. “Careless, even. Your concentration lacks and you make mistakes.”

Luke bit his lip, sinking further into the seat. He felt like he’d just been slapped with criticism— not that he didn’t know he deserved it.

“But that’s to be expected,” Anakin carried on. “This was your first time flying in a real-life scenario on a busy planet’s traffic lanes. You handled the stress well. I’m prepared to help you and teach you what i know for you to become a safe and law-abiding Pilot.”

Luke’s face lit up. “You mean it?”

Anakin couldn’t but smile despite feeling like he’d just promised himself an early death. “Of course.”

“You’re the best!” Luke yelled, pitching forward to wrap his arms around his father the best he could despite the cramped situation. “Thank you so much!”

Anakin held the boy as much as he could, feeling a strange stirring in his chest at Luke’s happiness. Why was it, with Luke in his arms, Anakin felt like nothing bad could ever happen?

He just hoped his promise to Luke wouldn’t backfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do people feel about Force healing? (SPOILERS) Because Rey heals Ben Solo and vice versa but obviously Ben dies afterwards. How do people feel about the concept and the possibility of it being introduced in this story? I've read lots of mixed reviews so wasn't sure if anyone would want it in this story for later???


	18. Problems at the Senate

A week later and Luke was practically a pro in the skies. Anakin marvelled at how fast Luke learned and heeded his lessons; it was almost impossible to imagine that the boy had almost caused a fatal crash just 7 days prior. Even Leia was impressed when she was finally convinced to get back inside the speeder (she’d refused to leave the ground for days).

Ever since the Jedi Council meeting, the twins lives had gone back to how they’d been before. With Padme flowing from between Senate meetings and Anakin making odd trips to the Temple, the twins just stayed in their mother’s apartment. After a week of doing nothing, they were starting to go stir crazy. They said just that much one night over dinner.

“In all honesty, it’s best to lay low,” Anakin sighed as he poured himself another drink. “The Council is watching you, they’re trying to see if you do anything reckless or threatening to them that gives them grounds to arrest you.”

“They want to arrest us?” Leia wasn’t sure if she was supposed to laugh or feel scared.

“Well, you did criticise the very Order they live by. Not to mention you proved you were Force sensitive despite your midi-chlorian count coming out as 0.”

“They think we’re dangerous,” Luke nodded. “I get it. We are two strangers, appearing out of nowhere and causing mayhem.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Padme teased.

“But surely there must be something we can do!” Leia rolled her eyes. “That isn’t something the Council can arrest us for? I’m going crazy in here. If I watch another episode of Luke’s dumb racing show, i’ll smash the Holonet.”

“Perhaps you would like to come with me to the Senate?” Padme suggested. “I doubt it will be much fun and I understand if you don’t want to—“

“I would love to!” Leia jumped at the chance. “Yes please!”

“I don’t think i’ve ever seen someone so excited to go speak to boring Politicians,” Anakin laughed.

“Leia’s dream job is to be a Senator.” Luke shrugged. “She’s a born Politician, I swear.”

“You know, despite the sass and rude comments, I can see you being a Senator,” Anakin sighed. “Force helps us all.”

“You’re really going to let me shadow you!” Leia beamed. “Force, I can’t wait!”

“I have a few meetings in the morning,” Padme couldn’t hide her happiness at Leia loving the same things as her. It felt like they’d bonded over something. “But after that I can give you a tour of the Senate?”

“Perfect!”

“Da— Anakin, can we go flying again tomorrow?” Luke cleared his throat at his slip up, going red. Anakin, whether he noticed or not, didn’t comment.

“Sure buddy, I think you’re ready for parking now. You’re almost good enough to get your license.”

“Can we go to the licensing office tomorrow!” Luke was giddy with excitement, making his parents laugh. “Please!”

‘ _Luke_ ,’ Leia berated her brother over their link. _‘You can’t get a license_.’

‘ _Why not? I’ve always wanted it!’_

_‘And where exactly are you going to get your birth certificate? You legally don't exist!’_

Luke sighed, understanding his sister's point.

Anakin reached over to ruffle Luke’s hair as he finished his meal. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, buddy. I suggest you guys get an early night, you’ll have long days tomorrow.”

Neither twin argued as they said their goodbyes, both buzzing with excitement for what the next day brung.

“Do you have to go back to the Temple?” Padme wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist, pulling him in closer to her.

“Unfortunately,” Anakin sighed. “But i’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll miss you,” Padme leaned her head up to kiss him, feeling at peace once their lips touched. Despite Anakin’s departure, Padme was living in a blissful existence as of late. The twins were filling some sort of hole that she’d never known she’d had, filling her heart with so much love. After stressful days at the Senate, she found herself excited to come home and eat dinner with them as they recounted their day. And judging by how happy Anakin looked, she could tell he felt the same.

“We should probably discuss Luke and Leia,” Anakin whispered once they parted, growing more serious.

“What about them?”

“I know you’re getting attached Padme,” he sighed. “I can tell in your eyes that you care for them deeply.” He refused to admit that his wife clearly loved the teenage children but he knew it to be true. She looked at them like they were part of her family, like they were her life and soul. (It was the same for how she looked at him).

Padme grew defensive, taking a step back. “And what, you’re denying you don’t feel the same?” She wrapped her arms around her chest, feeling cold at the realisation they were going to enter into a conversation neither liked. For days they had been dancing around the topic.

“I never denied that,” Anakin shook his head. Truthfully, his favourite part of the day was when he and Luke went flying. In the past week, he’d grown considerably closer to the twins and there was no denying how much he cared for them. He loved to see Luke’s smile and hear Leia’s sarcastic comments.

“But you still don’t want to take them in,” Padme willed herself not to cry.

“When I married you Padme, I knew there would be a day the secret was exposed. And when that day came, I knew I would be prepared to leave anything and everything behind to settle down with you. What i’m trying to say is that, when and if, you decide to permanently make the twins a part of our family: i’ll be there.”

“You would leave the Jedi Order for children that aren’t even yours?”

“If you adopted them Padme then they would be just as much mine as they are yours. Becoming a father has always been something i’ve wanted, with you by my side, it’s just happening in a different way and far sooner than I expected.”

Padme stepped forward, kissing him again. “I love you. I don’t want you to feel forced in making such decisions.”

“You could never force me Padme,” Anakin smiled, his eyes shining with love. “I choose you over the Order, everyday and in every way. I want a life with you and if you want the twins to be apart of that, then i’ll be there every step of the way reigning them back in from whatever trouble they get themselves into.”

“Go to the Jedi Ani,” Padme stroked his cheek, feeling more in love with him now than she did on their wedding day. “We’ll talk more when you get back.”

“Goodbye for now, Angel.”

* * *

Leia woke up the next day feeling like she’d won the lottery. By the the time she was up, dressed and ready to go, Luke was only just waking up from his heavy sleep.

“Have fun,” he grumbled as Leia ran to the door, itching to leave for the Senate.

“You seem excited,” Padme laughed as Leia approached her, all hints of sleep gone from her face. Her mother was dressed in a purple dress, her hair elegantly pulled up in a golden headpiece. “You ready to go?”

“Yes,” Leia couldn’t help but smirk at the dirty look Captain Typho gave her as they climbed into the speeder, sparing no second to shoot out into the traffic leading to the Senate.

“I have a meeting with Senator Organa first,” Padme informed Leia as they finally landed, walking towards the entrance. “And then another with Senator Mothma. After that we can go on the tour.”

Leia smiled, unsure of how she was supposed to feel about seeing Bail again. The last she’d seen him, he’d gone to bed after a busy day of celebrating the Empire and she’d snuck out to see Luke. It felt strange to know she was going to look in his eyes and he wouldn’t recognise her at all.

She’d never loved Bail like a father, that Leia knew. Perhaps it was cruel that she’d lived in the man’s company for 5 years but had never grown to see him as her father in all that time but she couldn’t help how she felt. All her life, Obi-Wan had been telling her stories about Anakin and how he was her father, it had felt almost like a betrayal to even get close to Bail. And despite knowing it was petty, Leia had never pursued a relationship with Breha out of respect for her birth mother. Had she grown up with the Organa's, Leia was sure she would've loved them with her whole heart but she'd raised as a Skywalker and she'd known her place in the Galaxy.

It had been an isolating time moving to Alderaan but the Organa’s had never pushed. Every tantrum and argument Leia got into they just brushed off, ignoring her screams for wanting to go back to Naboo and leaving her alone when she repeatedly told them she wanted her real mother and not the phony’s that they were.

Despite it all, Leia still appreciated them. Bail had taken her in when she’d needed a place to go and he’d never not been nice to her. They had never been a true family but they’d provided Leia with the care she needed and taught her everything they knew about royal dignity and defending herself.

Seeing Bail again made Leia want to cry. The man walked into Padme’s office with ease, smiling at his good friend in the same way he used to smile at Leia. She suddenly wondered if all Bail used to see when he’d looked at her had been Padme.

“Padme, it’s been too long my friend. How are you?”

“Tired from the war,” Padme spoke honestly. “And you Bail. I’m so sorry to hear about Breha, you must be devastated.”

Leia studied the man more, noticing the bags under his eyes and the fatigue written across his face. He looked sad— far sadder than Leia remembered. Bail had never been exactly happy, given he was serving in a tyrannical Empire and his closest friends had all been killed but there had still been glimmers of hope in his eyes.

“The miscarriage was sudden,” his voice sounded choked. “Breha insisted I come back to office and not mope.”

“I’ll understand if you need some time—“

“No,” Bail forced a smile upon his face. “This isn’t the first time but I can only hope it is the last.”

Leia felt suddenly cruel. She’d never known the Organa’s had been unable to conceive. She’d just assumed they’d passed the age to have children and taking in Leia had been their way to accept that. Leia was hit with the realisation that they’d taken her in to finally become the family they’d always wanted.

It had just been terrible fate that they’d adopted a girl who’d already had a family and wasn’t interested in getting a new one.

“Who’s this?” Surprise lit up Bail’s features as he studied Leia sitting at the end of Padme’s desk. “Is this one of your nieces?”

“No,” pride made Padme smile as she introduced Leia. “This is Leia, she’s my recent houseguest. Leia, this is my dear friend Bail Organa.”

“ _This is your mother’s dear friend, Bail Organa,_ ” Obi-Wan had said the day they’d all left Naboo. Bail had stood off to the side, his eyes wide as he’d marvelled at how much Leia resembled her mother. Obi-Wan had brushed some hair out of the 10 year old’s face as he’d continued. “ _He’s going to take such good care of you.”_

“ _But I want to stay with you,_ ” Leia had cried, already resenting Bail for taking her away from her family. “ _And Luke!”_

“ _Remember what I said last night_?” Obi-Wan had sighed. “W _e can’t stay together anymore, it isn’t safe. You’ll be living on Alderaan with Bail now.”_

_“But what about you?”_

_“I’ll take Luke to Tatooine and then— well, i don’t know where i’ll go yet. But you’ll be safe and that’s all that matters.”_

_“Hello Leia,” Bail had stepped forward. He’d looked older than he did in Padme’s office now, with grey practically dominating his hair but he’d had a nice smile. “My name is Bail, you remind me a lot of your mother. She was a close friend of mine. It saddened me when she passed away, I miss her a lot.”_

“Leia?” Padme’s voice cut through Leia’s thoughts. She was frowning at her. “Bail just said hi.”

“Oh sorry,” Leia tried to brush it off. “I was daydreaming. Hi, i’m Leia.”

Bail chuckled in the way she always remembered. “It’s very nice to meet you Leia.”

“You too.”

If everything failed and Anakin still went dark, Padme died and Luke was separated from her, Leia made the internal promise to be nicer to Bail next time.

* * *

“I’m sorry that overran,” Padme sighed Senator Mon Mothma finally left. It was well after midday now and Leia couldn’t deny she was itching for a little bit more excited. “The good news is i’m free all afternoon so I can do that tour I promised.”

“Yay!” Leia cheered as she stood up. “Can we maybe get some food first?”

“Of course, i’m quite hungry myself.” Padme led the way, leaving the office so they could find the canteen. “So, you want to be a Senator one day?”

Leia nodded. “I will be a Senator, and one day soon.” Bail had promised her she’d be taking his place as representative of Alderaan before her 19th birthday. It took a second for Leia to remember that if everything worked and her parents survived, she wouldn’t be Bail’s legal heir anymore. The crown of Alderaan and the Senate seat would not go to her.

“You’re still young,” Padme frowned, feeling protective of the girl. She had no doubt Leia would make an excellent Senator but that didn’t mean she liked the idea of it. The amount of assassination attempts made on her life and the stress of the job alone, had almost killed Padme a million times. “You should enjoy that.”

“Not to be rude,” Leia spoke in the dry voice Padme had come to recognise as the way Leia talked when being blunt but trying not to be rude. “But weren’t you Queen at 14 and then Senator several years after that?”

“Very true,” her mother sighed, admitting defeat. Leia wondered if the reason Padme was so insistent on Leia enjoying her youth was because hers had been snatched from her.

“What was it like to be Queen at 14?” Leia knew part of what Padme must’ve felt for being a Princess was quite a tiresome job and she never felt like she had a minute spare yet even Leia knew there was a large leap from Princess to Queen. She thought of herself last year, when she’d been 14— there was no way Leia would’ve been able to rule a whole planet.

“Alienating,” Padme admitted as they entered the canteen. She swiped her card to buy their food before sitting down at a table, slowly picking at what they’d got. “I was a child given the responsibilities of an adult. I felt very alone at times. I had my advisers, sure, but they never seemed to understand that underneath all my makeup and the elaborate outfits, I was just a young girl way over her head.”

“Do you regret it?” Leia slurped on her drink.

“Being Queen? No. If I had never become Nubian Royalty, I never would’ve ended up here. But do I wish I had been able to enjoy my childhood more? Of course. In truth, i’m probably closer to my family now than I was the entirety of my reign. I was a 14 year old child with barely a relationship to either my parents or sister. That’s why Sola also teases me when we’re together, she’s making up for lost time.”

Leia could understand that, after all that’s what it was like with Luke.

“Would you ever allow your children to go down that route?” Leia was suddenly curious; from the way Padme was speaking, it sounded like she was more against the idea of someone so young having so much responsibility. How would she feel to her daughter being a Princess?

“Oh no,” Padme chuckled. “I would want my child to have a life that is theirs, and theirs only. I see my nieces and how carefree they are and I realise how little I got to be free. Ever since I became Queen, my life has been about serving my subjects. First, my life belonged to all of Naboo. I couldn’t make decisions without them affecting thousands. And now, my life belongs to the Senate.”

“Is that why you married Anakin Skywalker?” Leia kept her voice low, biting her lip as she realised she was crossing over a line. “So you could do something for yourself?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Padme looked like a deer in headlights, glancing over her shoulder in fear. “I’m not—“

“You forget Luke overheard you one morning— and Luke tells me everything. It’s okay, we won’t tell anyone and we actually like you two being together. You seem to fit.”

Padme took in a deep breath, unable to believe that her deepest secret was being talked about so casually. She’d spent so long obsessing and locking her marriage away that sometimes she forgot that being married and being in love wasn’t something she should be ashamed of.

“I guess in a way,” Padme admitted. “Our marriage was something more personal. With Anakin’s ties to the Order and mine the Senate, our entire lives were dictated by the organisations we served. When we fell in love, we wanted to do something for ourselves.”

“I think it’s romantic,” Leia admitted. It was complicated, definitely, and their secret marriage probably had a large part to play in Anakin’s downfall. But Leia couldn’t deny the fact that she would much prefer her parents loving each other so much they ventured into a forbidden relationship to her and Luke being born from a one-night fling of passion that ended terribly.

“It’s dangerous,” her mother’s voice was dark, looking down at her food with a sudden wave of sadness. “And sometimes i wonder if it’s stupid.”

“I think . . .” Leia paused, not knowing how to continue. “That the best things in life don’t come easily. You’ve both taken great risks to do what you’ve done and all you can do is back that risk. Your jobs and the organisations you work for don’t define you.”

Leia thought about how she, a Princess of Alderaan, would always love her brother Luke, an Imperial and heir to the Sith. From the outside, it wouldn’t make sense for them to get along: Leia hated the man raising Luke and Luke, coming from Imperial royalty, should hate the obvious Rebel sympathiser that Organa was. But only they knew the truth and only they could decide how they felt. Because no matter where their allegiances lied, they knew they would always be what they were: twins.

“I just fear that we’ve rushed this too much,” Padme sighed. “And that one day we’ll wake up and regret what we’ve done.”

“Do you love him now?” Leia wondered when she became the relationship guru for her parents.

“Very much so.”

“Then only focus on that. You can’t control the future: maybe it works out, maybe it doesn’t. But don’t regret it because at this moment in time, he makes you happy and you love him. Surely, that’s all that matters.”

“How are you so smart?” Padme smiled, pushing her plate of food away.

Leia shrugged as they stood up to resume the tour. “Good genes, I guess.”

It wasn’t much later, their tour almost finished as Padme showed Leia her pod chamber, that Leia felt it. A sense of danger, making the hair on her arms stick up. It was like an itching feeling in her mind, telling her to be careful.

Leia turned to Padme, cutting her off as she talked about the first time she ever addressed the Senate. “Something bad is going to happen—“

The moment the words left her mouth, a loud bang sounded in the air. The ground seemed to rumble and shake, sending both mother and daughter to the floor. Leia hit her head on the way down, feeling a gush of blood run down her face as her vision started to blur. Smoke filled the air, filling her lungs as she coughed, the faint smell of burning making her feel sick.

“Leia!” Padme recovered from the blast faster, rushing to her daughter and inspecting the cut above her eyebrow. “Can you walk?” She helped Leia to sit up just as a Senate guard came running towards them.

“M’lady we’re going to need to secure you in a bunker, immediately.” His voice was clipped and he spared no softness in pulling Leia to her feet. Her vision blurred even more as the guard started to half-drag her down the corridor, Padme hot on their heels.

“What is going on?” Padme yelled as a loud alarm rang through the corridor, the lights flashing red. There was another rumble, the ground shaking once more like an earthquake, making them all lose their footing once more.

“A Separatist attack, m’lady,” the guard helped Padme to her feet as he ushered her down the corridor to where the bunker must’ve been. Other guards were escorting Senators and assistants in the same direction, all of them arguing as they forced them to get to safety. “A bomb in the lower levels.”

“Are there any injured?” Padme sounded horrified as Senator after Senator was pushed into the large room at the end of the hall. It was obviously designed for a large quantity of people, with impenetrable walls and floors to protect some of the Galaxy’s most elite.

“It is hard to tell, m’lady,” the guard replied in a clipped tone as he pushed Padme and Leia inside the room without any other words.

“Padme!” Bail called, approaching them. “I’m so glad you’re alright!”

“A bomb,” Padme shook her head. “What is the Galaxy coming to? What’s the plan, Bail?”

“We’re to stay here until they’ve deemed the lower levels safe. It’s rife with fire and destruction right now but i heard one of the guards say they don’t think any other explosives were planted.”

“And the death toll?” Padme was almost too worried to ask. The idea of people dying in the place she went to work everyday made her suddenly nauseas.

“It is impossible to tell at this moment but I can only guess it was high.”

Leia reached out with the Force, ignoring the blinding pain throbbing beside her temple. What she found almost made her cry: fire, destruction, death. The Force allowed her to feel all those that had been in the blasts way, their lives gone in a flash. But as she stretched further, she could feel weak signatures of the injured. Some people had survived and were stuck in the lower levels. With each passing second, more and more of their presences were snuffed out.

“Are the guards going down to save those who survived?” Leia suddenly asked, wiping some blood away from her eye. Bail looked sadly at her, shaking his head.

“The guards don’t think anyone survived.”

 _But they had_ , Leia realised. There were people alive and the guards were going to let them die. She couldn’t let that happen.

“Close the doors!” One of the guards yelled, pressing a button so the bunker’s door would start to inch together slowly. She counted 10 seconds before they closed completely.

“There’s people down in the lower levels,” Leia turned to Padme, an itching feeling growing in her stomach. “They’re alive, I know it!”

“The guards will help them if they are,” Padme placed her hand on Leia’s shoulder. “We have to trust them to do their job.”

But Leia didn’t trust them. She spared her mother one last look before ripping her arm out of her grip and racing towards the doors. They were closing faster than she’d prepared.

“Leia! No!” Padme yelled, chasing after her. An overwhelming fear gripped her as she watched the girl race towards a certain death. It was only safe in the bunker!

Leia slipped out the doors, holding her breath as she squeezed through the tiny gap left. Her mother’s yells suddenly went silent, leaving her with only a buzzing head and the smell of burning.

“Dumb decision kid,” the guard frowned, looking at her like she’d lost her mind. “You should’ve stayed inside.”

“There’s people in the lower levels still alive!” Leia ignored him, yelling instead. “You need to help them!”

“We’re getting out of here,” another guard crossed his arms. “I suggest you do too. The fire patrol will arrive soon to put everything out and we’ll come back to free the Senators once the burning has stopped.”

“But people will die down there!”

“Not our problem, kid,” the guards all turned to leave, moving towards the emergency exits. “You can exit with us if you want; only we have clearance to leave this way.”

Leia felt the desire to punch them. _What nerfs_! She ignored their calls as she turned on her heel and raced down the corridor so she could enter the lower levels of the Senate. People were alive and they needed her help.


	19. A Fiery Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some mentions of injury in this chapter due to the nature of the plot but nothing gory. Please be careful if fires or burns upset you :)

“You’re doing so great Luke,” Anakin beamed with pride as Luke parked the speeder perfectly. It had only taken two hours and the boy had mastered the skill already. Despite telling Luke to not get ahead of himself, Anakin knew he would pass the licensing test with flying colours if he took it that day.

“Thanks,” Luke smiled back. “It’s easy to do when you love it!”

“Flying really is your passion, huh,” Anakin smirked, ruffling the boy’s hair as they flew back into the traffic.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Only because I feel the same way,” his father sighed. “I had to teach myself to fly, really. Obi-Wan never liked it much and all the things he taught me were just basic how-to’s. The real flying is in the tricks.”

Luke’s eyes lit up. “Tricks?”

“Ah, maybe i’m getting ahead of myself,” Anakin chuckled. For some reason, the idea of Luke pulling the same crazy stunts he did made him want to wrap the boy up in bubblewrap and lock him in his room. “So, do you want to be a Pilot when you’re older?”

Luke shrugged, merging into the traffic with the ease of someone who’d been flying for years. “I haven’t really thought about my future much. Preferably I would like to be a pilot but I don’t know if that’s really an option for me.”

Anakin frowned. “Why’s that?”

“My old guardian, the one we ran away from, he was very insistent I join the military when I grow up. I don’t really want to join the army nor the navy but he made it clear I had no choice.”

Luke tried to not feel guilty at the lie. It wasn’t even a complete lie, really. The only thing was that it was actually his father who was doing the insisting and rather than it being the military, it was the Sith.

“Well, you aren’t with him anymore.” Anakin pointed out. “You can do and be whoever you want.”

Luke nodded, deliberating on that for a second when he felt a tugging at his mind. He tried to concentrate on flying but the tugging at his mind got stronger. Looking deeper into it, Luke realised the tugging was coming from his bond with Leia. Reaching out, Luke allowed their bond to strengthen but instantly recoiled once he did. Pain and fear suddenly flooded into his mind; Leia’s own panic mirrored his own when Luke realised that his sister was hurt.

‘ _Leia_!’ Luke yelled through the bond, hands becoming stiff on the controls as the fear seemed to outgrow him. ‘What’s happened, are you okay?’

‘ _Luke_ ,’ Leia’s voice was weaker than usual and she sounded out of breath. ‘ _There was an attack on the Senate_.’ Looking into the distance, Luke could see the faint signs of smoke rising into the sky. The Senate was on fire!

‘ _Are you hurt? Where’s Mom?_!’

‘ _Mom’s in a safety bunker_.’ Leia answered in her usual coy way.

‘ _And you?_ ’ Luke already knew the answer but he prayed that his sister had the one brain cell she needed to have stayed inside the bunker. _Please_ , Luke begged to the Force, _don’t let her act like a selfless nerf for once!_

_‘I snuck out.’_

Luke wasted no time in twisting the controls, performing an illegal U-turn as he whizzed off in the direction of the Senate. It felt like fear had taken control of him as he pushed the acceleration as fast as it could go. Trusting his instincts, Luke dived between traffic as the one thought circled his mind: **save Leia, save Leia, save Leia . . .**

“Luke!” Anakin yelled, looking much like he had on the first day they’d gone out together. “What are you doing? Slow down!” He was gripping the seat restraints with a death-like hold, his one flesh hand going white.

“There was an attack on the Senate!” Luke yelled back, not caring about the speed limit as he moved at neck-breaking speed. He could feel Leia was in danger. Force, Luke couldn’t let her get hurt! All his life Luke had done everything in his power to protect his sister (granted she was a force to be reckoned with and hardly needed his help but when the moment occasionally arose, he was always by her side).

A nagging voice in his mind teased that he hadn’t been there for the past 5 years to protect her but he ignored it as he pushed down further on the acceleration.

He was here to help now.

“What? How do you know?” Just then Anakin’s comlink buzzed, Obi-Wan’s voice speaking through with urgency.

“Anakin! There was an attack on the Senate. A bomb detonated in the lower levels. All Senators and staff have been safely secured in bunkers across the Senate. Ahsoka and I are on our way to investigate what’s going on.”

“We’re on our way too, Master,” Anakin nodded, worry filling him as he thought of his wife. He stretched out with the Force to check on Padme but all he was met with was worry. She was safe— scared but safe.

“We?” Obi-Wan’s confusion came through loud and clear.

“Luke is the one piloting the speeder, Master.” His voice hitched when the boy made a sudden lurching movement and the speeder narrowly missed hitting another.

“Of course,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I should’ve known. I’ll see you there then.”

“Luke slow down!” Anakin yelled as the link closed and the boy became dangerously close to crashing on the Senate’s landing pad. Even from here, the Senate looked like Hell. Fire was raging from the bottom floors and smoke was billowing upwards to the sky. The smell was overpowering even from inside the speeder.

“Slow down! Slow down!” Anakin couldn’t help but stress as they hit the landing pad with enough force to send them both jolting in their seats, causing sparks to fly as the speeder came to a screeching halt. “What the Force! Luke, are you insane!”

Luke didn’t wait to reply, jumping out of the pilot seat as he ran to the large crowd of people all staring up at the Senate with looks of fear and horror. Fire patrols were parked everywhere, all of them holding large hoses as they deliberated where to enter. Luke felt his heart race as the bond to Leia ignited with pain, sending fresh waves of pure panic rush through him. Without any care, he pushed through the crowd until he was at the front.

“I’m going to have to ask you all to leave!” The senior fire patrol officer spoke in a cold voice. “It is not safe here.” The man was of stocky build with a square face and blue skin. He looked rather scary but Luke paid little attention as he reached out to his sister.

 _‘Leia, please tell me you aren’t currently inside the burning building. Please tell me you got out_.’ Luke dreaded his sister’s reply as he spoke to her through their bond. When she didn’t reply, despite clearly hearing the message, his worst fears were confirmed.

“Luke!” Anakin finally caught up to him, the crowd around them waning out as people heeded the officer’s words. “Come along, we’ll wait for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka somewhere else. It isn’t safe here.”

“But Leia—“ Luke felt tears fill his eyes as he stressed his sister’s name. Leia was inside the burning building! Judging by how the fire patrol were still preparing themselves to enter, it didn’t look like they were going to be saving anybody any time soon.

“Is with Padme, safe inside a bunker.” Anakin sighed, he placed a hand on Luke’s shoulder to drag him away from the building. “Come on.”

But Leia wasn’t safe. Leia was hurt and alone, he could feel it. Luke eyed the officer, waiting for him to turn his back for one mili-second before he could make his move.

“Luke,” Anakin paused, no doubt sensing something from the boy but it was already too late. Luke ripped himself away from his father, dodging past the officer as the man reached out a hand to grab him and raced towards the burning building. He could hear Anakin yelling for him to stop, the officer having managed to grab Luke’s father when he’d made to follow after his unbeknownst son.

As Luke got closer and closer, he could feel the heat as it hit his face; the burning feeling making his skin sizzle. Smoke filled his lungs as he spotted a small entrance way just big enough for him to get into. _Do it for Leia_ , he repeated in his mind as nausea rolled over him the closer he got. Sweat grew on his face but he pushed all other fears out of his mind.

The distant echos of his father begging him to stop were ignored as Luke raced inside the burning Senate.

* * *

The scene before Leia looked like hell. Fire surrounded everything, the heat making her skin blister and hurt as she waded through the fallen debris. Bodies littered the floor, all of their faces either burnt or deformed by the explosion. It was a nasty sight but Leia trudged onwards, wiping sweat away from her face as the heat became unbearable.

It felt like she was standing inside an oven, being roasted alive.

All the survivors she’d sensed only minutes ago had waned out now, their weak presences on the Force having slowly diminished into nothingness. Pushing back tears, Leia focused upon the one last Force signature in the burning mess.

The cut on her head throbbed and she let out a sharp cry when a something fell down behind her, the fire managing to knick and burn her back. She was pretty sure the bottom of her trousers were on fire, burning her ankle but, at this point, every part of her body ached the same.

Everything hurt. The smoke piling at the top of the ceiling made Leia’s lungs wheeze and her head became dizzy. It was like her body was shutting down but she willed herself to keep going. Every step seemed to take all of her energy.

“Help!” A voice cried out, the noise muffled by the sound of the fire roaring. “Please!”

“I’m here!” Leia’s lungs ached as she yelled, sending her into a fit of coughs. She followed the sound until she was met with the sight of a young girl trapped under a piece of debris, crying as she yelled.

“Help me!” The girl couldn’t have been older than 7, a trickle of blood running down her chin as she coughed. Leia didn’t want to think about what had happened to her parents.

“Get ready to crawl out,” Leia coughed, feeling like she was going to pass out. She reached for the metal that was trapping the girl, letting out a scream when it burned her hand. Shaking away the pain, Leia ignored the red blister that bubbled on her palm.

Quickly, Leia ripped the bottom fabric from her top, using that to wrap around her hands so she could lift the metal without the blistering heat touching her skin. It took a minute for her to regain her breath as she willed herself to lift the metal. With a touch of the Force and combined body strength, Leia’s shaking arms managed to lift it ever so slightly so the little girl could scramble out.

Leia noticed the girl was crying heavily as she reached for her blistered knees.

“Don’t touch them,” Leia shook her head, grabbing the little girl’s hand as she tried to navigate her way back to the floor she’d just come from. It would’ve been easier to know where they were if it weren’t for the fact that the entire lower floor of the Senate looked like literal Hell.

The young girl’s sobbing was drowned out by the sound of the fire growing as it licked at all the debris. Smoke was starting to descend now, the blackness of it making Leia feel physically sick.

Panic grew in her stomach as she tried to remember which way she’d come. Her plan was to escape back up onto the higher floor considering the door Leia had come from had to be activated to open, so none of the smoke could’ve swept up to the floor where the Senators had been. Yet everywhere she turned, it all looked the same.

A hoarse scream ripped out her throat when some debris came falling down right in front of her, the fire mere inches from her face. Leia pulled the crying young girl back before moving to step around the flames.

Luke’s familiar probe in their bond came to life once more, his worry echoing into her mind and the panic she felt being reciprocated by him.

‘ _Leia_!’ Luke yelled over their bond. ‘ _Where are you?_ ’

‘ _Luke, please leave me alone. I’m trying to find a way out.’_ Leia coughed heavily, feeling ready to kneel over as the smoke came down further. Adrenaline coursed through her veins yet her muscles felt far too sluggish to be follow through.

 _‘I’m inside_!’ Luke’s words sounded like a blaster going off.

The air left Leia’s lungs momentarily. She screamed once when another flaming piece of debris almost fell on her, the fire licking at her skin this time as it crashed in front of her. ‘ _Inside as in inside the Senate? The burning building? Why? You nerfherder!’_

Anger coursed through her veins as she stretched out with the Force to feel if Luke was lying or not. She felt ready to punch a wall when she realised he was telling the truth. How dare he! He could get hurt and Leia didn’t know what she would do if he did.

 _‘I’m coming to **help** you!_’ Luke reciprocated her anger, his Force presence getting closer and closer to where she was.

‘ _You shouldn’t have! You can get hurt!’_

 _‘So can you!_ ’ Her brother shot back, desperate worry lacing his voice.

“Are we going to die?” The little girl sobbed, clinging to Leia as she tried to avoid all the fire.

“No,” Leia shook her head. “I promise i’ll get you out of here, okay?” The girl nodded.

_‘Luke, where are you?’_

_‘I don’t really know. Stay where you are and i’ll come to you!’_ It only took a few minutes before the familiar form of her brother appeared, out of breath with sweat running down his face. There was a burn on his arm, having gone straight through his shirt and he coughed loudly as he approached.

“You’re such an idiot,” Leia cried, feeling both sad and happy to see him. She reached forward to give him a hug, his sweaty arms wrapping around her like Leia was the single best thing in the Galaxy. They both shook as they parted, blue eyes meeting brown with intense fear.

Luke recovered first, turning his gaze to the small child who clung to Leia. “Who’s this?”

“The reason I snuck out the bunker,” Leia sighed. “Where did you come from? Maybe we can go through there to escape?”

“This way,” Luke led them forwards, willing the remaining of his strength to push all burning debris out of his way with the Force. (He may have never practiced in the last 5 years but the basics still stuck with him).

Before they knew it, they were standing by the entrance Luke had used to enter the building. Unlike when Luke had entered, the fire had doubled in size now. The flames licked the entrance, growing in size as the massive cloud of smoke sunk even lower.

“We’ll have to run through,” Luke frowned, coughing loudly as sweat ran down his face. He was starting to feel light-headed.

“We’ll get burnt!” Leia cried. “No!” She eyed the flames with fear, looking at the orange glow and wondering how they were ever meant to escape.

“If we run fast enough and don’t stop then we’ll be able to get through,” Luke shouted over the roaring fire. “We’ll have to go one at a time.”

Leia bit her lip wondering if she was sending the little girl to her death as she ducked down. The girl was sobbing as Leia shakily got down on her knees to face her. “We’ve not been introduced: I’m Leia.”

“My name is Rhee,” the girl sobbed.

“How old are you Rhee?”

“6.”

“Wow, that’s so old!” Leia coughed. “Can you be brave for me?” Rhee paused a second before nodding. “I need you to run really quickly through that fire, okay? I promise you’ll be fine if you keep running and don’t stop. There will be people on the other side who’ll help you once you run through. Can you do that for me?”

Rhee looked like she wanted to say no. “I gotta run quick?”

“Really, really quick,” Luke nodded. “No stopping, okay?”

Rhee sniffed, wiping away sweat piling on her lip as she nodded. The twins watched as she sprinted straight towards the fire with the bravery of someone triple her age.

“Your turn,” Luke nodded to Leia.

“No, you go first.”

“No, you.”

“Luke!”

“Leia!”

“Arguing won’t help us,” Leia sighed. “You promise you’ll come through the second I go?”

“Promise,” Luke nodded. “Just don’t stop, okay?”

“I’ll see you in a second Luke,” Leia wiped away the sweat on her face just like Rhee did, preparing to run. She started to sprint but a sudden tremor in the Force made her stop. The archway around the entrance collapsed, fire spitting everywhere, trapping the twins in. Leia let out a scream as some of it fell on her leg, burning straight through her clothes.

“Leia!” Luke rushed forward, pulling her away from the now obstructed entrance. All the hope he’d had of escaping was gone as he laid his sister down a few feet away, in a less destructive spot.

“Luke,” Leia’s voice was breathless, her eyes unfocused and her mind foggy as she addressed her brother. “Go. Upstairs is a emergency door, escape through it.”

“We’ll go together!” Luke grumbled, coughing so harshly he felt like he would be sick.

“I can’t walk,” Leia cried, glancing down at her sore legs. She could barely concentrate on talking let alone walking. Her vision was starting to go as exhaustion kicked in; she could barely make out Luke’s face with the black cloud looming over him.

“Come on!” Luke grabbed his sister, pulling her off the ground, wrapping her arm around his shoulder as he used all his strength to support her weight. The smoke was now touching the top of his head, threatening to engulf them as Luke half-dragged Leia in the direction she said the stairs to the upper floor were.

“Luke, save yourself,” Leia sobbed as her brother ducked his body down as the smoke dropped even lower. “Leave me.”

“No!” Luke reached the stairs for the upper level, facing the door that blocked them from going up. His fingers reached up to bypass the lock when his knees suddenly gave out. Leia let out a cry as they hit the ground, looking up towards the black smoke slowly lowering down to smother them.

“You should’ve left me,” Leia coughed violently. Unwanted memories of their last day on Naboo came flooding back; the look of pure anguish on Luke’s face making her want to cry. Tears had rolled down his child-like face as they’d reached their hands out for the other as if simply holding on would’ve meant they got to stay together.

“I never would’ve,” Luke felt the light-headedness return. “If we die, we die together; you're my sister, Leia.”

Leia weakly reached out, clasping Luke’s sweaty palm in her own. “I’m glad you are my twin,” she whispered as consciousness left her, her hand going slack in Luke’s.

Tears ran down Luke’s face as the smoke was near centimetres from his face. He coughed like he was hacking up a lung, wondering when he’d be so lucky to escape into unconsciousness like Leia.

As his mind started to go, the smoke preparing to eat them alive, Luke felt a probing Force presence touch his mind. He latched onto it like a toddler, forming a link as he closed his eyes.

‘ ** _DAD!!_** ’


	20. Fire And Rescue

Anakin was ready to rip his hair out when Obi-Wan and Ahsoka finally arrived. “Let go of me!” He yelled at the fire patrol officer, ripping his arm out of the man’s hold. It felt like he’d been arguing with the officer for hours now.

“Sir you are not permitted to enter! I cannot let you follow after the boy,” the officer sighed, taking a step back with his hands raised when he noticed the ever-growing angry look on Anakin’s face. “Look, I understand, I have a kid too but I cannot willingly allow you to enter the building.”

Anakin wanted to argue that Luke wasn’t his kid but the argument felt void on his tongue. Panic swirled around in his mind as he stared at the entrance to the Senate that Luke had run into. He stared long enough, praying that the boy would come running out any second now.

He didn’t.

“You have to let me in!” Anakin roared suddenly, moving to go past the officer but the man stopped him once more. “I’m a Jedi Knight! I can handle myself!”

“Sir, no!”

Anakin was just reaching for his lightsaber, ready to threaten the man, just as Obi-Wan arrived. “Anakin!”

“Master!” Anakin felt ready to cry when he saw Obi-Wan’s face. A cold realisation was starting to settle in that maybe he would never see Luke again . . . _no, he couldn’t think that way!_

“Anakin, what in the name of the Force are you doing?” Obi-Wan hissed, eyeing the hand that was reaching for his lightsaber.

“Master, what’s wrong?” Ahsoka became worried, looking at the devastated look on Anakin’s face.

“Luke!” Anakin ran a hand through his hair, feeling agitated. It felt like every second they were out here talking, another minute was being shaved off Luke’s life. “He ran inside!”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened, realising the full gravity of the situation. “Inside the Senate?”

“Yes!” Anakin turned back to the droid as the fire patrol prepared to start housing it down. “And this nerf won’t let me go inside to get him!”

“You’ll thank me one day,” the officer replied dryly. “Do you think you can restrain him?” He turned to Obi-Wan with an annoyed look. “I have actual work to do and babysitting your friend isn’t part of my job."

“Yes, we’ll stop him being stupid,” Obi-Wan nodded, rubbing his beard. “You go.” Once the man walked away, Obi-Wan turned back to his former Padawan. “Anakin you need to calm down.”

“ _Calm down_?” Anakin yelled, running a hand through his hair as he felt ready to kneel over. Horrible images flooded his mind of Luke getting hurt. Anakin had only known the boy for a short time yet the thought of having to attend his funeral made him want to vomit. A cold shiver ran down his spine just at the thought.

“Master, you need to breathe,” Ahsoka reminded him, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Luke won’t! Because he’ll be . . .” Anakin couldn’t finish the sentence for it was just too horrible. He shook his head, trying to dispel the agonising images.

“He’ll be fine,” Ahsoka tried to comfort her Master. The worry was eating her alive but she had to remain strong for Anakin, especially because she knew the truth about Luke. All the worry Anakin was displaying was part of his natural paternal emotions even if the man didn’t know it himself.

“He’s in a burning building!” Anakin yelled. “He won’t be fine!”

“Getting angry won’t bring Luke back outside so stop yelling.” Obi-Wan frowned. “You need to settle down and focus. Can you sense him?”

Anakin shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He stretched out with the Force trying to find Luke but he simply couldn’t. Either he was too agitated or Luke was subconsciously shielding himself again, Anakin had no idea where the boy could be.

“Wait!” Ahsoka yelled. “Someone’s coming out!”

Anakin turned his head, begging to the Force for the person running out of the entrance where Luke had run in, to be the boy. But sprinting through the fire, ash covering their body and tears running down their face, was a little girl. Seconds after she made it out, the entrance collapsed.

Immediately, medics (who’d recently arrived at the scene) pounced on the girl, grabbing her and rushing her into one of their vans. The soot was wiped off her face as they placed a ventilator over her mouth and nose.

Anakin rushed over just as they tended to her burn wounds. The girl was sobbing, pointing to the destroyed entrance. “They should’ve followed! They should’ve followed!”

“Who should’ve?” Anakin yelled, startling her so much she let out another wail.

Obi-Wan frowned, kneeling before the girl and giving her a kind look. “Hello youngling, can you tell us what happened?”

“I was with Mommy when the place went **BOOM** ,” the girl pushed the mask off her face so she could explain. “I got c-crushed and it hurt my legs! I was crying for Mommy but this girl found me and she helped me!”

“A girl?” Obi-Wan frowned. “Do you know her name?”

The little girl sniffed, nodding. “She said her name was Leia. She and this boy told me to run really fast through the fire and that the people on the other side would help me. They said: run really fast and don’t stop! So I did! They were supposed to follow but the door-thing collapsed!”

Anakin felt like his heart had been ripped out his chest. Luke _and_ Leia were still inside the burning building. No doubt Luke had rushed in, sensing Leia trying to help this little girl. And now they were stuck.

He reached out once more, trying to sense them but came out empty handed. They left the little girl alone as she was tended to by medics.

“Force,” Anakin ran a hand over his face, feeling completely useless. “They’re both in there Master! They’re both stuck inside and i’m out here doing _nothing_!”

“What can you do Anakin?” Obi-Wan sighed. “Running in after them only means you could potentially get killed too. We need to be level headed out here. If we just pin-point their location, we can get the fire patrol to help us get in and find them!”

“I can’t sense them!” Anakin yelled.

“Master,” Ahsoka re-placed her hand on his arm, frowning. “Relax. You’re too emotional right now. You need to be calm. The twins need you!”

Anakin nodded, taking in a few shaky breaths as he tried to dispel his anxiety. _In, out. In, out. In, out. Be calm_ , he whispered to himself. Like an invisible hand, he sent it through the Senate, upturning debris and ignoring the dead bodies as he searched for the mind he knew to be Luke’s.

Like winning the jackpot, Anakin touched upon the boy’s mind, probing a little to sense where he was. Luke grabbed on, forming a link as Anakin searched for his location.

‘ ** _DAD!!_** ’ The yell vibrated round in his head as Luke’s mind suddenly went quiet. Anakin felt all the air leave his lungs as he pinpointed the position of the boy.

“I know where he is.”

“Then lead us,” Obi-Wan nodded, signalling the fire patrol to follow as they headed to where Anakin pointed. After a brief argument in which the fire patrol officer finally gave in and allowed them to help, all three Jedi were given suits and masks to wear.

With three sets of lightsabers, they were able to cut a hole in the Senate wall with the fire patrol dosing the fire as they entered into the hell-like environment. Everything was burnt and destroyed, the smell of burning flesh and metal in the air. The smoke billowed, practically engulfing the entire room.

Obi-Wan’s voice was muffled by the mask over his face. “Where are they Anakin?”

“Here!” Anakin rushed forward, following the link he’d made with Luke to the boy’s location. The twins were passed out on the floor by a metal door, looking half-dead. Luke had a few burns on his arms, his skin pale whilst Leia had a cut on her head, blood trickling down to her chin, with serious but not deadly burns littering her skin. It took all his power to raise a hand and check their pulses.

“They’re alive!” Anakin had never been more grateful in his life. He grabbed Leia up in his arms as Obi-Wan grabbed Luke, pulling them out of the building and the smoke in seconds. Medics rushed forward with gurneys, putting the twins on them as they yelled medical stats Anakin couldn’t understand.

“They’ll need urgent intensive treatment!” One medic yelled, rolling the twins towards an empty medical shuttle as they prepared to take them to the closet med-centre. “Get a bacta-tank ready for the girl!”

“Which one of you is the parent?” Another medic asked the three Jedi as the twins gurneys got strapped in to the back of the shuttle. Breathing masks were placed over their mouths and makeshift bacta-patches were placed on a few of their wounds.

Anakin didn’t even think before replying. “I am.” He ripped off the mask he’d been wearing, his eyes following the twins with intense pain.

The medic nodded. “Only one parent can ride with the shuttle, the rest will have to meet us there.”

Anakin didn’t hesitate as he climbed aboard, turning to Obi-Wan with a terrified look. “Master—“

“I’ll meet you there Anakin, don’t worry,” he knew he was needed right now and there was no where else he would be other than his former Padawan’s side. “Ahsoka will stay here to oversee the Senate.”

“When Padme is released,” Anakin yelled as the doors to the shuttle were slowly closed. “Bring her to us!”

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan watched as the shuttle holding Anakin and the twins shot off into the sky. The teenager had tears in her eyes as she turned to her friend. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

Obi-Wan sighed. “We can only hope for the best, young one. But with the amount of willpower shown in the past, i’m inclined to believe so.”

Force, he hoped so.

* * *

Anakin paced the waiting area, feeling like his entire world had been ripped from under his feet. The second the shuttle had landed, the twins had been sent to surgery in a blink of an eye. The medics had assured to keep Anakin up to date but they’d been in surgery for over 2 hours now and he’d still heard nothing.

“Surely it isn’t good if there’s not been word for 2 hours!” Anakin ran a hand through his hair. “Right Master? Maybe something went wrong?”

“Or maybe they’re still in surgery, Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed from where he was sat and had been sat for little under 2 hours now. “These things take time. Sit down before you wear a hole in the floor. The twins are strong, I have no doubt they’ll pull through.”

“But what if they don’t? Force, all this time I thought Leia was something to be reckoned with but her laying on the gurney on the way here, she looked so fragile. It was like she were already—“

“You’re purposely thinking of the worst Anakin.”

“Master,” Anakin suddenly took a seat beside the man he thought of like a father, fidgeting with his sleeve the same way Luke did when nervous. “I need to tell you something. When I searched for Luke in the building, he latched onto me and formed a sort of link.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “It is to be expected; you’re both Force sensitive and share a close friendship. It’s natural to bond, especially in such ire circumstances.”

“There’s more, Master.”

“Oh?”

“Luke, when he latched on,” Anakin paused, wondering if he should be saying this. Was it his vulnerability at the twins being injured which made Anakin suddenly so talkative or was it simply because he wanted to confide in Obi-Wan? “He called me something.”

“You can tell me Anakin.”

“He called me Dad.”

Obi-Wan went silent, his expression giving nothing away as he contemplated the words. “I see. And what did you feel?”

“Well, I was shocked,” Anakin stated the obvious.

“No,” Obi-Wan cut him off. “I mean, did you sense any truth behind it? You’ve become close to the twins, it is possible they’ve come to see you as a father-figure almost.”

Anakin closed his eyes, thinking back to when Luke had yelled DAD into his mind. He’d been shocked, sure, and slightly taken aback but there had been something so right and so welcoming about the word that it had scared him. It had almost fit, feeling like a jigsaw puzzle finally put together.

The name had belonged to him.

“It felt right,” Anakin whispered. “Like that was what he was meant to call me. What does this mean, Master? Surely I can’t be the twins father! I would’ve been a child at their conception! What does all this mean?”

Obi-Wan hummed. “There’s something more to this, i’m sure of it. When the twins wake up, we’ll be able to discuss it with them.”

“ _If_ they wake up,” Anakin looked sullenly at the floor.

“Focus on the positives Anakin,” Obi-Wan placed a hand on his former Padawan’s shoulder. He squeezed gently.

“Oh yeah, like what?”

“You found them. They’re here, getting medical treatment, because you saved them.”

Anakin just hoped he’d been quick enough.

* * *

Padme rushed into the med-centre, frantic and worried, just as the medic came to relay the news on the twins conditions. She’d practically had a meltdown when Leia snuck out of the bunker and if it hadn’t been for Bail calming her down, she would’ve beaten the bunker doors until her fists went black and blue.

When the bunker doors had opened, she’d wasted no time in tracking down the truth about what had happened to Leia. To then hear from Ahsoka that both Leia and Luke were in the med-centre had threatened her mentality.

“Anakin!” She yelled with Ahsoka hot on her heels. “Where are they? Are they alright? Ahsoka says they were hurt!”

Anakin jumped up at the sight of his wife, too worried out of his mind, to think about appropriate behaviour as he engulfed her in a hug. It was clear that no one seemed to care about those twins more than they did.

“Luke ran into the building when he sensed Leia inside,” Anakin whispered into her ear as he held her like she were his lifeline. “They managed to save a young girl but got trapped. When I found them, the smoke was practically covering them.”

Padme sobbed, wishing nothing more than for them to get better. She prayed to the Force that they were fine.

“Excuse me but are you here for Luke and Leia Benjamin?” The medic cleared his throat. Anakin and Padme broke out of their embrace to face the medic, anxiety gripping them as they dreaded the worst. Obi-Wan stood up from his seat, looking worried.

“How are they?” Anakin tried not to snap.

“They’re out of the critical zone,” the medic gave the good news. “Their lungs are still fragile but we expect a full recovery. Leia sustained substantial burns and we have her currently flowing in Bacta as we speak; we expect her to be out in 2 to 3 hours with no lasting scarring.”

“And Luke?”

“Fast asleep with a few bandages but no overall physical harm.” The medic nodded. “They were lucky: two more minutes inside that building and Leia most certainly wouldn’t have survived. However, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

“What?” Padme bit her lip. The news was good, the twins would be fine, but she didn’t like the sound of this.

“We have no medical or legal records for any Luke or Leia Benjamin.”

“What are you trying to say?” Obi-Wan frowned.

The medic sighed. “Well, either they gave a false name or they simply don’t exist.”

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, eyes wide. “Master, you don’t think—“

“It isn’t possible Anakin.”

“Time travel,” Ahsoka muttered the word so forcefully, she had everyone turn round to look at her.

“I’m sorry what is going on right now?” Padme stared around at the Jedi. “Why do I feel like i’m being kept out of the loop?”

“Padme,” Anakin sighed, turning to her. “The reason I found the twins was because Luke formed a link with me through the Force. He . . . called me Dad before he fell unconscious.

Padme felt like she’d been slapped. No, it wasn’t possible— she agreed with Obi-Wan on that. “Anakin listen to what you’re saying, what you’re suggesting isn’t possible. It can’t be—“

“Time travel,” Ahsoka repeated again. Anakin eyed her, noticing the guilty expression.

“Spill it Snips.”

“Master?”

“You know something, tell us now,” Anakin crossed his arms, glaring at her.

Ahsoka paused, feeling suddenly trapped. Should she tell? Shouldn’t she? It wasn’t really her story to tell. “Master, I can’t—“

“Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan crossed his arms, looking inventively at her. “If there is something you know, you should tell us.”

“Ahsoka?” Padme breathed, looking scared.

She took in a deep breath, hoping the twins would forgive her. “Luke and Leia are your children.”

“What?” Padme took a seat in one of the waiting chairs, feeling like someone punched her in the stomach. She thought of Leia’s eyes, the colour so much like her own and her mother’s; she thought of Luke’s smile and how much he resembled Anakin when he laughed. She thought of Leia’s spirit, so such like her husband’s, and Luke’s love for flying. The twins had amazed Padme by how much they’d acted like members of her family and yet Padme had never even considered the possibility . . .

“They time travelled; I don’t know how but they did,” Ahsoka swallowed, looking nervous. “They told me last week when they snuck away from the Jedi Council.”

“You’ve known this for a week and didn’t tell us?” Anakin had to refrain from yelling.

“They didn’t want you to know!”

“I’m your Master Ahsoka!” Anakin couldn’t control his anger. “You should’ve told me!”

“I’m sorry Master,” she sighed, looking at her feet. “But I stand by my decision to respect the twins wishes.”

“They do act an awful lot like you,” Obi-Wan hummed. “I can tell your wonderful penchant for trouble rubbed off on your children in the future. It seems you raised them well.”

Ahsoka paused. Should she tell them this? All they needed to know was that Luke and Leia were Anakin and Padme’s kids. They didn’t need to know more. It made her feel sick to think about telling her Master and friend that they died soon, leaving their children orphaned.

(She knew that technically Anakin wasn’t dead in the future; her Master— the twins' father— was the man standing before her right now, all goodness and bravery; the Sith the twins had described was definitely not that man. Therefore her Master had died.)

“We have children in the future Ani,” Padme couldn’t help but smile. It was a shock to be told that the twins were her future children but somehow, it just felt so right. She was proud to be the mother of Luke and Leia. “We have twins. We’re a family.”

Ahsoka felt like she might puke as she moved to sit down in the waiting room chairs, placing her head on her hands. She wanted Padme to know the truth, the whole truth, but the words felt bitter in her mouth. Regardless, it wasn’t her story to tell.

“I told you Padme,” Anakin smiled, wrapping her arms around his wife’s small form. “I promised we would one day settle down and have a kid that was the perfect mix of us both. Or, as it seems, two kids.”

“I feel like I always knew,” Padme rested her head against Anakin’s chest. The jig was up it seemed, the secret of their relationship had been exposed. And despite knowing the consequences would be severe, the fact that their love had created the two perfect children they’d come to love in the past two weeks, made Padme feel like it was all worth it.

She’d ventured into a forbidden relationship and the result of that left her with a loving husband and twin children who laughed like no one was watching and smiled like the sun. Padme suddenly realised how lucky she was.

“Well,” Obi-Wan spoke up, eyeing his former Padawan as he embraced the Senator of Naboo with such ease like he’d done it a million times before. “I can’t say i’m surprised about this.”

“Master?” Anakin frowned, as Padme stepped out his embrace to wipe her happy tears.

“I’ve always suspected you and Senator Amidala were more than just friends but i’ll admit having children is quite an extreme surprise.”

“We’re married.”

Even Ahsoka was shocked to hear that. “Since when?” She cried out. She’d always known Anakin and Padme were involved but she’d not realised it was so serious.

“2 years,” Padme wrapped her arms around herself. She didn’t care about truly exposing their relationship now, dishing out truths she’d never expected to say out loud. How could a relationship the Jedi deemed as bad result in two wonderful children? “After the Battle of Geonosis when Anakin escorted me home.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “I did think it was strange you insisted on a Jedi’s company after the assassination threat had been lifted.”

“I didn’t like to lie to you Master,” Anakin feared Obi-Wan’s words. Was he disappointed? Angry? Sad?

“Truth be told i’m not happy about this,” Obi-Wan admitted. “But I do not resent you Anakin. I’ll stand by your choices, even if they aren’t ones I would make myself.”

He wasn’t sure what got ahold of him as Anakin stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan and placing his head in the crook of his neck. When he’d been a boy, he’d constantly sought hugs from Obi-Wan to help him feel safe when in a new place and without his mother for the first time. But as he’d grown older and the resentment had started to linger in, believing he was deserving of more, he’d distanced himself from the man he saw as a father.

Obi-Wan hugged him back.

For 2 years Anakin had feared what Obi-Wan would say when he discovered the truth. He’d had nightmares of the man disowning him or personally telling the Order so he’d get kicked out. He’d wondered for many hours if Obi-Wan would still care for him if he knew about how far Anakin had gone to break the Order’s rules.

But as Obi-Wan hugged him back, Anakin realised no matter what he did, Obi-Wan would still be there for him.


	21. The Truth Part 2

When Leia woke up, the first thing she realised was how sore she was. Her skin was wrapped in bandages and just the slightest movement made her hiss with pain. There was also a breathing mask over her face, the edges of it digging into her cheeks.

“Don’t move too much,” Luke’s voice was soft, coming from her left. She turned her head, spotting her brother sitting in a seat right beside her bed. He looked slightly pale and his eyes were red but other than that, he looked healthy and fine. “The medic says your skin is still healing.”

Leia pushed the breathing mask off her mouth and nose, testing out her voice. “What happened?” It felt like she’d swallowed sand given the way her throat ached.

“You were extremely lucky, young one,” Obi-Wan’s voice sounded from Leia’s other side. She winced as she turned her head, the bandages causing a rustling sound as she realised it wasn’t just her and Luke in the room. Obi-Wan stood with his arms crossed yet face impassive on her left side with Padme seated beside her bed just like Luke was. Judging by her mother’s expression, she’d been crying. Ahsoka looked awkward at the foot of Leia’s bed and Anakin was standing beside the back wall, frowning heavily.

“Lucky?” Leia frowned, confused. She remembered being in the Senate, running through the fire in her search for survivors. She remembered Rhee and Luke appearing, the two of them managing to save the girl before the entrance collapsed. She remembered Luke refusing to leave but then everything went blank. “How did we get out?” She turned to Luke. “Are you hurt?”

“Less than you were,” her brother sighed.

“You’ve been in Bacta for 3 hours,” Padme’s voice sounded weaker than she’d ever heard it. It truly sounded like her mother was distraught.

“Master Skywalker was the one who found you,” Ahsoka supplied, looking behind her shoulder to Anakin. He was still leaning against the back wall, eyes glued on Leia as he continued to frown.

“Is he okay?” Leia whispered to Luke, slightly puzzled at their father’s display. He looked angry and she had no idea why. Sure, it had been a stupid decision to leave the Senate bunker and it was true she’d almost died but she hadn’t! She’d survived and Leia had no idea why Anakin would still be mad about that.

“No, i’m not okay,” Anakin suddenly stirred, his frown growing as he pushed himself off from the wall so he was standing closer to Leia’s bed. “How could I possibly be okay when you lied?!”

Leia was starting to think Anakin was a few short hairs away from a Wookie when Luke, sounding rather distraught himself, filled her in with the missing details. “He knows. They _all_ know.”

Leia’s eyes widened, the realisation hitting her like a speeder. “What?”

“I called out to him in the Force when I passed out,” Luke sighed, sounding slightly ashamed. “I called him Dad.”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Leia ignored the pain as she pushed herself up in her bed. “It was a slip of the tongue!”

“Don’t make this worse!” Anakin growled, pointing at her. “Stop lying!”

“How do you know i’m lying?” Leia shot back, matching his glare. “What makes you think your impossible conclusions are true?”

Ahsoka’s breath hitched. “I told them the truth,” she whispered, looking at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Leia let out an exasperated sigh. “Trust someone, they said. It’ll help us, they said. Good going Ahsoka!”

“At least Ahsoka was honest!” Anakin shot back.

“Oh yeah,” Leia rolled her eyes. “After a week of lying, she slips up— she’s a true hero.”

“Arguing won’t get us anywhere,” Obi-Wan cut Anakin off as he prepared to retaliate. “We know the truth now, that’s all that matters.”

“How could you lie to us?” Anakin seemingly ignored his Master. “You’ve been with us for 2 weeks— Force, I taught you how to fly Luke! And all this time, you’ve being going around saying you’re orphans!”

“We understand why you couldn’t tell us the truth,” Padme delicately placed a hand on Leia’s, smiling at her despite the sadness being in her eyes. “We just wish you had trusted us.”

“It hasn’t got anything to do with trust,” Leia frowned. “And we didn’t lie about being orphans!”

Her words made everyone par Ahsoka falter. Anakin looked taken aback, Obi-Wan was frowning and Padme looked ready to cry.

“What?” Anakin finally recovered, shaking his head. “That can’t be true! We’re your parents!” He pointed to himself and Padme.

“You both died when we were babies,” Luke raised his eyes to meet his father’s, noticing the horror there before looking back down at the floor. “Well, in a way.”

“In a way?” Obi-Wan sounded curious. “What do you mean?”

“You always said our father was dead from a certain point of view,” Luke felt the urge to cry as he stared at his feet.

“I told you that?” The Jedi Master sounded shocked. “Why?”

“Why is Obi-Wan telling you that?” Anakin half-yelled. “Master?”

“We were raised by Obi-Wan for the first 10 years of our lives,” Leia frowned. “On Naboo— _see_ , we didn’t lie about everything! Obi-Wan was the one who refused to train us to be Jedi, only teaching us the basics.”

“Obi-Wan . . . raised you?” Padme looked devastated. “Ani and I really died? How?”

Anakin shook his head, denial written across his face. “No, I don’t believe it. Padme and I aren’t dead!”

Leia felt a rush of anger that she couldn’t explain. “And how are you so sure about that? Have you _been_ to the future? Have you _seen_ the horrors that you unleash or the vileness of your ways? You’re a monster and you’re the reason for all the terrible things that have happened in our lives! You’re the reason I was forced away from my family!”

“Leia!” Luke hissed, looking stricken. “That’s not him, you know it. What did you say before: don’t punish him for the crimes he’s yet to commit.”

Anakin looked like he’d been slapped, staring between the twins like they’d ripped his heart out. “I’ve hurt you,” he mumbled, guilt and despair evident in his voice. “In the future, I hurt you didn’t I?”

Leia shared a look with Luke, both of them daring the other to say the truth. Luke shook his head as Leia glared.

“I’ve never spoken to you actually,” Leia sighed, fidgeting with the med-bay blanket. “But the mere presence of you has caused me unbearable pain, yes.”

“Leia,” Luke scratched his head, looking awkward. “She, uh, doesn’t like you much in the future.”

“I _despise_ you!” Leia spat. “You’re a twisted monster with no remorse for your actions! You’re a killer!” She thought of Vader and his black mask and the sound his breathing made; it seemed impossible that that monster was the same person as the devastated-looking man before her.

“What?” Anakin’s voice was soft and he had to grab the end of Leia’s bed to stop from collapsing. His skin paled and he looked like he was seconds away from fainting. “What are you on about?”

“You’re the reason Obi-Wan took us into hiding,” Luke’s voice was still forceful but more resigned. He sounded tired, like the conversation was starting to take a toll on him. He knew it was unfair to blame Anakin for all Vader had done but there was no denying the two were linked and it was because of Anakin that Vader came to be. “It wasn’t the Jedi we were hidden from, it was you.”

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan with tears in his eyes. He wanted to yell at the twins and call them liars but the Force rung with truth at their words. “Obi-Wan hides you from me? Why? What did I do that was so bad that my old Master is forced to take my own children away from me? And what happened to Padme?”

“She died giving birth to us,” Leia’s voice broke, sharing a look of anguish with Luke. Their mother’s cause of death was something they’d both struggled with all their lives. Despite having no control on the situation and being newborns at the time, they knew it couldn’t be their fault yet the guilt lingered. Many times Leia had whispered her fears about whether it made them murderers but Obi-Wan had rebuked that every time.

Leia paused, thinking about their birthday. Every year the day had been bittersweet: they celebrated turning a year older yet they also mourned another year that they’d lost their mother.

Anakin let out a sob, shaking his head. He could barely force himself to look at Padme but when he did, the look of anguish on her face made him want to punch a hole in the wall. His wife would die giving birth to his children. It was a cruel trick of fate for the Force to finally give them a chance to be a family, only to snatch it away from them.

Had Padme even held the children she’d longed so much for before her death?

“And Anakin?” Obi-Wan shook his head, a tightening closing around in his chest. He could barely process the fact that in the near future he would’ve been raising his former Padawan’s children, hiding them from their father, let alone accept the true meaning behind Padme’s death. “I cannot see any reality where I would go out of my way to hide Anakin’s children from him.”

“You hide us,” Leia took in a deep breath, recalling what their Obi-Wan had told them all those years ago. “Because you didn’t trust him to not hurt us. You said that our father was Anakin Skywalker, a man who fought bravely during the War and would’ve loved us to no end but that he was manipulated and twisted until he was unrecognisable. The man he became wasn’t safe for us to be around.”

“I would _never_ hurt you!” Anakin spat the words, speaking so intensely and passionately that even Leia almost believed it. But she’d seen her nightmares of a Sith Luke: sure, Vader never physically hurt his son but he would one day lead Luke down the same path the Emperor had to him. And that, to Leia, was murder.

“I know,” Luke nodded, tears running down his face. “I know you wouldn’t!”

“Luke,” Leia sighed like she were explaining to a child. “He would hurt you if he had to.”

Her brother just shook his head, his devotion to the man who’d raised him for 4 and a half years, leaping out. Leia understood how he must feel torn between loving the only version of his father he’d ever known to knowing how much of a monster his father had become.

Luke had always known Anakin was his real father and Leia wondered if Luke’s blind hope for some of that man still being alive in Vader was what caused him to stick up for the Sith.

“You don’t see how he cares,” Luke blinked away the tears. “Last year when I got really sick with the flu, he cancelled all his meetings to stay and look after me! He fed me soup when I was too weak and he didn’t leave my side for 3 days! He’s evil, yes, but he still cares about me. _Please_ don’t argue that he doesn’t.”

“So Ani is still alive?” Padme wiped away a few tears, searching her children’s faces for the truth. “You aren’t actually orphans?” She felt suddenly left out at the idea of her being the only one to miss out on her children’s lives.

The twins shared another look with Luke shaking his head again, tears filling his eyes. “I told Mom about her death,” Leia shot back, her voice tired. “You know how hard that was for me. You tell him, Luke.”

Luke looked ready to argue but after a second, he took in a deep breath. He raised his eyes to meet Anakin’s, two identical blue eyes clashing as they stared at each other. “You turned to the Dark Side.”

“What?” It was like a bomb was dropped. Anakin’s eyes were wide and he felt like all the air had been punched out his lungs. He thought of the red faced monster Obi-Wan had killed when he’d been a child. He thought of Ventress and Dooku and how twisted the former Jedi had become during the War. The thought of joining them, selling his soul to darkness and destruction, sent a shiver down his spine.

All he’d wanted was to be a good Jedi and it turns out he becomes the complete opposite.

“That’s— no—no, I would never!” He glared at his hands, remembering how powerful he would feel each time he choked someone. He remembered how the anger he always feels sometimes enhances his power and brings him more strength. How freeing it could be to allow himself to feel all the emotions the Jedi forbade.

“You do,” Luke whispered. “You’re known as Darth Vader and you help form the Empire.”

“The Empire?” Padme gasped. “What happens to the Republic?”

“It falls from within,” Ahsoka, who’d been silently watching the horrible discussion, finally spoke up. “Democracy crumbles and in its place, the Empire rises. With the Sith as the rulers.”

“What of the Jedi?” Obi-Wan frowned. “How would they allow that?”

Leia quickly explained the Clone’s inhibitor chips. “On the day we’re born, Vader goes to the Temple and he massacres the Jedi. Some sort of altercation occurs between our mother and him, forcing her into early labour. We’re born and Mom dies. That’s when you decide to take us into hiding, Obi-Wan.”

“You said he raised you for 10 years?” Padme carried on as Anakin looked ready to puke at the thought of slaughtering those he considered friends. “Why only 10? What happened to you?” She felt the urge to protect them and keep her children safe from the Sith but then Padme realised she was dead. She’d left the Galaxy, leaving her children unprotected and in danger.

Leia couldn’t help the tears that streamed down her face as she thought of that day. She’d begged Obi-Wan not to go but it had been like talking to a brick wall. If only she’d known she’d never see him again, she would’ve told him how much she’d loved him.

Both twins cringed, remembering how much they’d screamed and cried as they’d been dragged away from the other.

“It wasn’t safe to be together,” Leia sniffed, feeling miserable. She could remember how it had felt arriving on Alderaan for the first time, how Bail had tried to lift her spirits by showing her the beautiful grounds but to Leia the beauty had been dull without her loved ones by her side.

“Obi-Wan decided we had to be separated,” Luke wiped a few tears away. “Leia was taken by Bail Organa and adopted into the Royal House of Alderaan. And I was taken by Owen and Beru on Tatooine.”

“We never saw you again,” Leia cried at Obi-Wan, looking and feeling pitiful. “And I never got to tell you how much I loved you!” For all they knew, Obi-Wan could’ve been dead in their timeline.

“I’m sure I knew, young one,” Obi-Wan was taken aback by how emotional she sounded.

“Bail adopted you?” Padme felt numb hearing the news. Out of all her close friends, Bail was the wisest and one of the kindest she knew. She’d been his shoulder to lean on during all the fertility problems he and Breha suffered with and Padme knew, without a doubt, that he would make an amazing father. There was no questioning in her mind that Bail would’ve loved her daughter and raised her to the best of his ability.

Yet, as Padme glanced over at her young husband’s face, she felt only sadness. Her daughter already had a loving father who would’ve stood by her side through anything. Anakin had so much love to give and Padme hated the fact that it was her friend who took on the fatherly role in Leia’s life and not her husband.

“Yes,” Leia sniffed. “And Vader found Luke.”

“You lived with me when I was a Sith?” Anakin swallowed hard, hating himself for being the murderer that he would become. “Have I hurt you? Am I training you?”

Luke shook his head wearily. “No. You’ve never so much as laid a hand on me, I swear. Truthfully, you’re hardly around. There’s always some crisis in the Empire you need to sort out. And you aren’t training me.”

 _Yet_ , Leia thought to herself but kept quiet.

“I don’t believe this,” Anakin ran a hand through his hair, distressed. “You’re telling me I turn to the Dark Side, murder all the Jedi and become a tyrannical ruler in the Empire? Padme dies, practically leaving you orphaned and then you get separated at just 10 years old? Force, no wonder you hate me!”

“We don’t hate you,” Luke sighed, clarifying. “We hate what you become. Vader isn’t you— not really.”

That didn’t seem to appease Anakin.

“How did you manage to travel back in time?” Padme’s voice was scratchy from all her crying but she forced herself to try and remain strong. “I’m guessing the Force came into play?”

Leia sniffed, thinking back to Empire Day when she’d felt the burning desire to be close to her mother. She could remember how broken she’d felt at the idea of celebrating another birthday and anniversary of her mother’s death. Wiping away a tear, Leia spoke quietly.

“In our time— in the future— it was Empire Day-“

“That’s the celebration for the founding of the Empire,” Luke added in.

“Which is also our birthday,” Leia sniffed. “I guess Anakin fell to the Dark Side right at the time of our birth. Despite my living on Alderaan and Luke on Coruscant, every Empire Day Bail Organa and I are expected to attend the Empire Day celebrations. It was how Luke and I reunited when we were 12. We snuck out like usual and went to the mall for a celebratory dinner but this time, I wanted to feel close to mom. I just wanted to be near her!” Leia sobbed into her hands, making Luke continue it on.

“We broke into your apartment in the future,” Luke clarified, looking at their devastated mother. “We broke in and it was like walking around a haunted house. Everything was preserved as if you were just away for a weekend. We fell asleep on your bed. . . and then we woke up in the past.”

“Odd,” Obi-Wan scratched his beard, his mind whirring at all this new information. “It was the will of the Force for you to be brought here, I understand that now.”

Leia wiped away her tears, trying to appear brave once more. “Yes.”

“I suggest we pause for now,” Obi-Wan sounded shaken up as he looked at the girl yet he remained cool. “The twins need to rest and we need to process everything we’ve heard. We’ll need to report to the Council Anakin.”

“And what?” The Knight spoke glumly. “Tell them that i’m going to slaughter them in their beds soon?”

“Come on,” Obi-Wan ushered him out the room. “We have much to talk about.”

Anakin spared the twins one last pained look before he following his former Master outside. Ahsoka gave Leia and Luke an apologetic look before she left as well.

“I’m so sorry,” Padme whispered as she stood up from her seat. Her heart felt broken in two and looking upon the twins faces, she didn’t know how she could forgive herself for leaving them alone in the Galaxy.

“It wasn’t your fault you died,” Leia mumbled, struggling to meet her gaze. She knew the guilt eating at her chest blamed herself for Padme’s death. “If anything, it was all my—“

“No!” Padme cut her off before the teenager could finish, a look of seriousness on her face. “Don’t say that. Don’t even think it.”

Leia sobbed, feeling all her pain crash to the surface like water on the beach. For years she’d harboured guilt over her mother’s death. She’d look in the mirror and see the ghost of the woman Leia believed she murdered, her sins never leaving her as they stuck to her like glue.

For years all Leia had wanted to do was apologise.

The life of a brave and powerful woman had come to an end all because of Leia’s birth. Her life had killed the influential Padme Amidala and sometimes Leia honestly hated herself for that fact.

“But you died giving birth to _me_!” Leia was practically incoherent as she cried. “Luke was born first and you were fine— then you had me and you died! I stole your life from you!”

Padme looked stricken, grabbing Leia’s hand and squeezing gently. “You were nothing but an innocent baby. My death was not your fault! How could you even think that?”

“I’m so sorry,” Leia shook her head, her vision clouding over. “I’m so sorry!”

“Leia,” Padme drew in a deep breath. “I should be the one who is sorry. My death left you motherless; you didn’t deserve that. You didn’t deserve any of this. My dying in childbirth has nothing to do with you; i’m just glad that both you and Luke were born healthy and safe. I’ve wanted a family for as long as I could remember; ever since Anakin and I first married, i’ve been dreaming of little babies who look just like you two. I’m thankful for the Force that where I didn’t, you two survived to carry on Anakin and I’s legacy.”

“We weren’t motherless,” Luke whispered, silent tears running down his cheeks. “We always knew you were our mother. Whether you were there or not, we knew that.”

Padme bit her lip, feeling like her heart was splitting in two. All her life she’d been strong. When she’d been elected as a child Queen, she’d been strong. When the Trade Federation had blockaded Naboo, she’d been strong. When she’d become a Senator and faced multiple assassination attempts, she’d been strong. Even when the declaration of the War was announced and her husband left to fight on the frontlines, she’d been strong.

Yet every wall and shield she wrapped around herself to remain strong was broken down by the two children before her. The sight of her eyes, full of tears, on Leia’s face and Luke’s wobbling lip that was identical to Anakin’s, opened up a whole new sense of pain that Padme had yet to feel.

These children were a part of her and she’d never even known them. She hadn’t been the mother to Leia and Luke that Jobal had been to her or Sola was to Pooja and Ryoo.

“I’m sure I was watching over you,” Padme struggled to smile but the words that left her mouth felt right. They rung a truth that she felt straight to her core. “I know that I would’ve been there every step of the way for you both, whether in spirit or in heart. And if that isn’t true, then I can assure you that I loved you. I know this because i’ve loved you for years, even before your conception.”

It felt like a cruel joke that this was probably the first time the twins had ever heard her say those words. Something she took for granted from her own mother was something her own children were denied.

The twins looked away, feeling great pain as well as happiness at Padme’s words. They’d been loved. It was something they’d known all their lives but the full force of the truth slapped them in the face. Their conception had been an accident (there was no denying that) but their mother had wanted them despite that.

“Rest now,” Padme brushed a hand over Leia’s forehead, looking deeply into Luke’s face. She wondered how she’d never noticed it before but her children looked like the perfect mix of her and Anakin. They were the best of them both and Padme prayed to the Force that the future would not repeat herself.

As she left the twins hospital room, she willed her future self to remain strong whenever the time came for her to give birth. She refused to allow herself to miss another second of Leia and Luke’s life.


	22. Abducted

_Luke knew he was dreaming when he opened up his eyes, having fallen asleep in a Coruscant med-centre, to suddenly be standing in fresh Nubian grass. Naboo looked just as he remembered it, all bright and beautiful with water streaming the background. He knelt down onto the floor, running his hand through the grass blades when he realised his fingers were far chubbier and smaller than he remembered._

_He was a child again. A young one at that._

_“Luke!” A teenage girl with long, dark brown hair came racing up to him. She was wearing a pale pink dress with yellow flowers laced onto the hem, with her hair pulled up into an elaborate style on the top of her head._

_Ryoo, he realised. It was definitely the same girl he’d met a week ago but she was far older than he remembered._

_“Come on Luke!” Ryoo made a grunting noise as she hoisted him up onto her hip, walking quickly in the direction of a beautiful lake house that lay up head. The house was styled in Nubian tradition, with cream coloured walls and green domed ceilings, surrounded by a varying degree of lush-green wildlife. “Uncle Anakin was getting scared you were lost!”_

_Luke wanted to complain and tell his older cousin to put him down but he was met with the realisation that dream-him didn’t know how. Another look at his small hands and Luke realised he just a toddler._

_As they neared the lake house, all Luke could hear was a buzz of commotion. As he peered over Ryoo’s shoulder, Luke could see a bunch of nicely dressed people sitting in seats on the veranda, all of them chatting happily. But Ryoo didn’t head in that direction, instead moving up the stairs to one of the rooms._

_“Dada!” Luke’s mouth involuntary opened, a baby voice screaming out as Ryoo walked into the room where Anakin was standing in front of a mirror, adjusting his tie. He was dressed in a fancy suit, his hair perfectly combed and a smile on his face._

_Luke’s baby hands reached out for his father, making grabby signs as Anakin chuckled, walking over to his niece to pick up his son._

_“I found him in the garden,” Ryoo laughed. “I have no idea how he got there!”_

_“You’re always getting into trouble, aren’t you buddy?” Anakin gently bounced Luke in his arms, making baby-him laugh like crazy. Happiness bubbled in Luke’s chest, so pure and happy. “Thank you Ryoo, you’re a life saver. You should go see Padme now, no doubt she wants her flower girl back.”_

_“Okay,” Ryoo turned to leave the room, pausing as she went. “You look really handsome Uncle Anakin. Aunt Padme’s a lucky girl.”_

_“I’m the lucky one,” Anakin smiled back. “Simply because your Aunt agreed to marry me— twice!”_

_Ryoo laughed as she left, leaving Anakin and Luke alone in the room. “I think i’m going to have competition for who’s the best looking Skywalker,” he teased, turning to the mirror and pointing at baby Luke. “You’re looking dapper buddy.”_

_“Dada!” Luke giggled once more as a knock sounded on the door and Obi-Wan walked in. He, too, was dressed smartly with his hair combed back._

_“My, my,” Obi-Wan smirked from the doorway. “The Skywalker men surely can clean up well.”_

_“You’re one to talk Master!”_

_“I just came to say it’s time Anakin,” Obi-Wan opened the door wide. “You ready?”_

_Anakin nodded, holding Luke closer as he moved towards the door. “I was born ready.”_

_They walked down the stairs until they were just outside the veranda full of guests. A man in light robes was waiting by an archway made of flowers at the front of all the guests, every one of them having gone silent with anticipation as a low instrument began playing a tune._

_“Are you proud of me Master?” Anakin suddenly asked Obi-Wan as they prepared to walk down what Luke realised was an aisle. “I know this wasn’t the life you’d expected me to have when you first took me as your Padawan but are you proud?”_

_Obi-Wan placed a hand on his former Padawan’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Anakin, i’ve always been proud of you. How could I not be when you’ve grown into such a wonderful man? You’re the best Jedi the New Order has seen, leading by example and by grace. You’re a loving husband to Padme and not to mention an amazing father to the twins.” Obi-Wan rubbed a thumb over Luke’s cheek. “Of course i’m proud.”_

_“I’m glad you’re here Obi-Wan,” Anakin smiled as the music changed, indicating it was time for them to make their way down the aisle._

_“There is no where I would rather be,” the Jedi Master smiled back as they slowly made their way through the Nubian sun to stand by the flower archway. Anakin handed Luke off to Obi-Wan as the man stood to his side in front of the crowd. From here, Luke could see all the smiling faces of the guests._

_To the left of the aisle were a few members of Padme’s family. Her mother sat teary eyed in a lilac dress, blowing a small kiss towards Luke as he waved a pudgy hand at her. His Uncle Darred sat a few seats beside her. There were faces Luke half recognised but couldn’t place. A Gungan was blowing his nose with happiness and several women who looked similar to his mother were all beaming with pride._

_On the right of the aisle, Luke could see Ahsoka pulling a funny face at him, making him laugh. There were several Jedi all looking happy to be there, including Master Yoda and Mace Windu. Clones sat proudly, dressed in suits and looking rather uncomfortable in the tight fabric. Luke noticed Rex, Fives and Tup all waiting patiently._

_It seemed like seconds passed before a traditional tune was played on the harp; all the guests standing up and looking to the veranda entrance as Luke’s older cousins made their way down the aisle, throwing petals to the ground with wide grins. Pooja was wearing an identical dress to her sister, her light brown hair done up in the same style. Once they reached the front, they took a seat beside their father and grandmother._

_Next, his Aunt Sola walked down the aisle, holding a giggling Leia in her arms. Just like their daughters and cousins, Sola and Leia were wearing pale pink dresses, flowers sewed onto the hems. His Aunt was radiating happiness as she held Luke’s sister in her arms, walking until she stood at the front of the crowd, to the left of the archway._

_“Daddy!” Leia giggled, reaching for Anakin as she smiled in glee. Luke watched as his Dad leant forward to kiss the girl on the cheek._

_“Hi Princess.”_

_“Mommy coming! Mommy coming!” Leia bounced in her Aunt’s arms, making Anakin laugh as he returned to his spot._

_Just like Leia had said, Padme suddenly appeared as she walked down the aisle, holding onto the arm of her father. Luke’s grandfather looked slightly older than he remembered but his eyes shined with happiness as walked his youngest daughter towards the love of her life._

_Even as a baby, Luke knew his mother was stunning. Padme’s hair ran down her back, flowers identical to those sewn on the dresses decorating her hair as she smiled with pure love. Her dress was formfitting and laced, the white shining in the Nubian sun._

_“Wow,” Anakin breathed, looking happier than Luke had ever seen him. “Are you an Angel?” He whispered to his wife when she approached him, kissing her father on the cheek before standing in front of the flower archway. Padme giggled in response._

_Luke didn’t pay much attention after that, wiggling in Obi-Wan’s arms until people started cheering, his parents leaning in for a kiss as they smiled._

_“Dada!” He wiggled in Obi-Wan’s arms some more as the guests all stood up, his father turning around to pull him back into his arms._

_“Did you have fun buddy?” Anakin kissed his cheek, bouncing him in his arms as he walked back over to Padme who was doing the same to Leia._

_“Yep!” Luke giggled, reaching out a hand to pat his mother’s cheek. “Mommy pretty.”_

_His mother kissed his palm, laughing. “Aren’t we just the luckiest Skywalker men to have such pretty Skywalker women?” His father leant in to kiss Padme again._

_“And us Skywalker women will remind you of how lucky you are for the rest of your lives,” Padme teased._

_“Trust me,” Anakin’s voice was suddenly serious. “We know.”_

_“I love you, An—“_

A sudden sharp pain in Luke’s neck jolted him awake and out of his dream. He blearily blinked at the sight of the med-centre, the lights blinding him momentarily. He groaned, a hand raising up to the spot in his neck that felt like he’d been stabbed.

“Don’t worry,” a deep voice of an unfamiliar man sounded beside him. Luke turned his head, eyes wide and full of fear as he drank in the sight of a grey haired man, a scowl on his face. Judging by his dark robes and the lightsaber on his belt, Luke knew this wasn’t good news. “You’ll go back to sleep soon.”

Luke frowned, hearing his sister’s wince of pain as he turned his head to see a droid pull a needle out of Leia’s neck. He rubbed his neck once more, feeling his muscles go stiff. He shouldn’t go to sleep . . . he knew he needed to stay awake and get away from this man . . . but his muscles felt too heavy . . .

Luke’s head fell back onto the pillow, his mind going into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Anakin stood outside the Jedi Council, feeling like someone had run him over with a speeder. He felt even more nervous now than he had when he’d been 9, facing the Council for the first time. At least back then, he’d not done anything wrong. Now, he knew what he would become and what he would do.

A Sith.

He would turn to the Dark Side and slaughter all the Jedi! In the future Leia and Luke had lived in, he’d been a monster. He’d become the very thing he’d sworn to destroy.

It seemed impossible and yet Anakin thought of how his anger sometimes got the best of him. He thought of how many times he’d strangled someone, enjoying their distress as he used his abilities to his advantage. In many ways, Anakin had never been truly good. He’d always had a darker side to him.

(After all, he had slaughtered all the sand-people when his mother died).

He clenched his fist together, feeling a sudden hatred to himself. He’d sworn to never repeat that.

Sensing his anger, Obi-Wan stepped forward, placing a hand on Anakin’s shoulders. “Be mindful of your feelings Anakin. Your future hasn’t been determined yet, don’t continue to follow down the same dark path you once did.”

“How can you say my future isn’t determined?” Anakin sighed, releasing his anger and hatred. “The twins already told us about all the horrible things i’ll do!”

“You haven’t done them yet. The future is always in motion. Just simply by the twins being here, they’ve already changed the future. Whether you turn to the Dark Side is your decision alone but i’m hoping their version of the future will steer you from that path.”

“How can you be so calm about my turning evil?” Anakin frowned. “You’re talking as if me turning into a Sith is just another day at the office!”

“I can be so calm, my former Padawan, because I know you. Now that you’ve been told the monstrosities you would commit if you turned and how you hurt your children, there’s no chance you would ever remake those mistakes. I do not fear you Anakin.”

“But i’m evil—“

“A version of you became evil, yes,” Obi-Wan sighed. “But you, as you stand before me right now, are not evil.”

Anakin went silent, pondering Obi-Wan’s words. Why did the man have such faith in him? It seemed impossible to imagine that mere years ago, Anakin had once complained about Obi-Wan’s lack of trust. “What do you think my punishment will be Master? Expulsion?”

“Punishment, Anakin?”

“You’ll tell the Council what the twins told you, right?” Anakin ran a hand through his hair. “You’ll tell them about my marriage to Padme and that i’ll father her future children. You’ll tell them about my fall in the future Leia and Luke lived.”

“Do you think so little of me?” Obi-Wan frowned. “You think I would turn you in to the Council?”

“I’ve broken the rules!” Anakin stared at Obi-Wan like he’d lost his mind. Obi-Wan ‘Goody-Two Shoes’ Kenobi had to be joking about not following Jedi protocol considering Anakin knew his Master lived and died for the Code.

(Anakin’s mind jumped to the twins and how Obi-Wan had broken so many Jedi Code’s in order to protect and raise them in the future — maybe the Code wasn’t as ingrained in his Master’s mind as Anakin had originally thought?)

“And you’ve also sacrificed much for the Order,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I know Ahsoka is young fighting in this war but you aren’t much older Anakin. You’ve given enough to the Order to deserve to stay despite your rule-breaking. When the time comes, when Padme is actually pregnant, we shall face the Order together and fight for you place as a team.”

Anakin paused. “You mean it?”

“Do I normally lie?” Obi-Wan smirked.

“Master, I can’t thank you enough. Throughout all of this, you’ve just been by my side and I do appreciate it.”

“I have always been by your side Anakin,” Obi-Wan hummed. “You’re just old enough to realise that now.”

He was going to say more when the doors to the Jedi Council Chambers opened and Obi-Wan sighed, nodding for his former Padawan to enter. Just like when Anakin had been 9, all the Council Members settled their gaze upon him with a look of slight distrust. After a decade of being part of the Order, Anakin had come to accept that he would never truly be welcome by the Jedi. There was something in him (something justified, he guess) that scared them just a little.

“Master Kenobi, called this meeting, you did,” Yoda hummed, watching with curiosity as Obi-Wan neglected to sit in his Council seat in order to remain standing in the middle beside Anakin.

“Yes Master,” Obi-Wan bowed with respect, keeping his head high as he stood his ground. “Anakin and I have recently come to a startling discovery about the twins you examined not too long ago.”

“The Benjamin twins,” Mace Windu had a slight scowl on his face at the memory of the twins last visit. He had nothing personal against them; in fact, despite his usual grumpy demeanour, he actually liked the spirit the twins had brought. They were too headstrong, yes, and rebellious but their cunning and Force-wit were powerful traits for Jedi.

“What of them, Master Kenobi and Skywalker?” Kit Fitso looked curious as he turned his head slightly to the side. “Have they brought more trouble?”

 _Trouble_ , Anakin wanted to scoff. It seemed his kids’ middle names were trouble.

“We found out recently—“

“And by recently he means two hours ago,” Anakin interrupted for no good reason.

“— that the twins have come from the future.”

“The future!” Several of the Jedi council members called out, all of them looking flabbergasted at the notion. “How? What! Are you sure?”

“The Force confirmed it,” Anakin nodded. “From their own words they come from just about 16 years in the future.”

“True, this is,” Yoda didn’t appear too fazed. In fact, Anakin almost guessed the Jedi Master had known it all along. He would even bet his other hand that Yoda also knew who Luke and Leia’s father was. (Not that the Jedi was about to out him, though).

“They did create a large Force disturbance on the morning of their arrival,” Windu nodded, leaning back in his seat. He remembered the large ripple he’d felt in the Force upon the morning Senator Amidala’s apartment had been broken into. He’d not been able to place it then but now he could. “This would make their low midi-chlordan count make sense. And the future, Skywalker? Is it a good one?”

Anakin shoved his guilt down as he shook his head. “No Master; the Galaxy is plunged into darkness. The war ends with no winners and an Empire arises over the Republic. All the Jedi are massacred, with the Sith ruling over the Galaxy.”

“Disturbing this is,” Yoda frowned, staring away from where Anakin and Obi-Wan stood.

“How could it be that the Jedi are massacred?” Shaak Ti frowned heavily. Anakin had the sudden image of his lightsaber going straight through her torso as she fell to the ground but he pushed it away— he wouldn’t do that this time. He wouldn’t fall. “There must be hundreds of Jedi living inside this Temple— how could the Sith kill us all?”

“The Clones,” Obi-Wan sighed in a way that made it seem as if he were disappointed. It was a sigh Anakin had heard a million times. He recounted what Ahsoka had mentioned after they'd left Luke and Leia to rest. “They’ve all been installed with a chip which allows for them to turn on the Jedi. My guess is that, when activated, the Sith were able to use them to kill all of us. Judging from Luke and Leia’s narrow view, only a few Jedi have survived.”

Yoda hummed once more, looking troubled. “Destroy the Sith we must, if we want to live.”

“Do the twins know who the Sith Lord is?” Luminara looked curious. Anakin wondered if they’d all be looking at him with their looks of innocent confusion if they knew it was he who slaughtered them all.

Anakin was stumped. In all the drama of finding out the twins were his children, he hadn’t even thought to ask who was the mastermind behind the entire operation. “Uh— actually, Masters, we have yet to ask.”

“Be sure to find out soon, Skywalker,” Windu nodded. “The fate of the Jedi depends on it.”

He opened his mouth to obediently reply when Anakin’s comlink buzzed and Ahsoka’s voice sounded through. She sounded urgent and aggressive as she talked. “Master there’s been a situation!” Laser fire sounded in the background, her words slightly out of breath as she appeared to be shooting them away. “Dooku broke into the med-centre!”

“You mean the med-centre where the twins were at?” Anakin yelled, not hesitating to turn on his heel and run from the Council Chambers. He almost forgot where he was as he raced through the Jedi Temple to find his speeder. He tried to sense Luke through their faint bond but the boy was unresponsive. Were they in trouble?

“Yes Master! He has them! I’m fighting his droids as we speak but I won’t be able to stop him taking off with the twins in time!”

“Find time!” Anakin yelled, hopping into his speeder without a second thought. He was about to close up the speeder doors when he realised Obi-Wan was chasing after him with a serious and slightly perplexed look on his face.

“Anakin!” His Master yelled, practically diving into the speeder as Anakin wasted no time in shooting off into the sky. “What in the spinning Galaxy are you _doing_? I know I said that you deserve a little leeway in breaking the rules but storming out of the Council Chambers during a meeting is pushing it a little!”

“Dooku broke into the med-centre where the twins are,” Anakin grounded the words out, flying at neck-breaking speed as the panic started to settle in. “Ahsoka says he’s taken them! I can’t let him take them!”

“Master!” Ahsoka sounded strained as she continued to fight the droids as well as keep Anakin updated on the comms. “There’s too many of them! Padme and I can’t hold them for much longer!”

Anakin pushed harder on the accelerator, sending the speeder whizzing through Coruscant traffic. He could almost feel how they running out of time. Dooku had the twins! Who knew what horrors he would do to them! He had to save his children!

They could see the fight occurring on the med-centre hanger bay before they left the traffic lanes. Ahsoka was standing a good few feet away from a large shuttle, fighting off droids as she dodged laser fire and used the Force to destroy them. Even Padme was dodging around corners, shooting at droids with a look of determination.

Anakin didn’t even stop the speeder as he crashed onto the med-bay landing pad, pulling out his lightsaber as he frantically cut down all the droids he could see.

“Master!” Ahsoka yelled, cutting down two droids and narrowing missing getting shot at. “The twins are on there!”

Anakin spotted the shuttle she was yelling at, feeling panic rise up as the engines started, the shuttle preparing to head into the sky.

“No!” Anakin yelled, frantically cutting down more droids as he ran towards the ship his children were being kidnapped on. He was just about to make it, the ship about to lurch into the sky, when a tremor of danger forced him to turn around. A fallen droid seemed still in control of his blaster, aiming it up at Anakin. He cut it in half, turning back to the shuttle to see it already halfway in the air, heading for Coruscant’s atmosphere.

Horror filled his bones. _The twins were gone_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also I know that some of my 'i's aren't capitalised for some odd reason but most of the story is written now and I cba to go through and change them so sorry about that


	23. Is Dooku our Great-Great-Grandfather?

“Let us go you sleemo,” Luke yelled, glaring at the form of Dooku standing before him. Both twins had woken up to their hands bound together by shackles, a ray shield locking them inside their makeshift prison. Judging by the freezing temperatures, they guessed they were currently floating in space onboard a massive Separatist ship.

“You nerfherder!” Leia spat, banging her bound hands against the force field. All it resulted in was a searing pain going through her body, leaving her slightly breathless and shaken.

“I would’ve thought your parents would’ve taught you two manners,” Dooku spoke dryly, observing the twins with sharp intensity. “But perhaps Skywalker can’t teach what he doesn’t possess himself.”

The twins froze, cold fear running down their spines. _How did he know?_ They’d only just revealed the truth to their parents hours before! It seemed impossible for Dooku— a complete stranger— to have pieced it together so effortlessly.

“You know?” Leia whispered, eyeing the man. She’d read a lot about Dooku during History lessons; he was an evil man, having betrayed the Jedi Order to join the Sith and bring chaos upon the Galaxy. In many ways he was just like what Anakin would be.

“The Sith know everything.”

Luke shook his head; “No, you’re arrogant enough to believe you do but you don’t.”

“And you are naive if you underestimate the Sith,” Dooku scowled, his voice becoming all high and mighty. “You will understand soon enough.”

Leia frowned. “What’s that mean? Why did you abduct us?” Images of Sith Luke popped into her mind, his yellow eyes tinging with red as he fought her to the death.

“Just let us go,” Luke’s voice became more pleading, sounding far more desperate than Leia liked. “We won’t tell our Father where you took us. Just let us go!”

“You must think me a fool if you believe I would let The Chosen One’s time travelling children free,” Dooku seemed mad as he crossed his arms over his chest with a deep frown.

“So this has to do with Anakin,” Leia wasn’t sure if she should feel shocked or weary. She’d almost guessed their father would have something to do with it. “If you’re using us as bait, you’re making the wrong choice.”

“You are not bait,” Dooku spat. “Your power combined is far more valuable to me than Anakin Skywalker’s,” he hissed the name.

“So your plan is to convert us,” Luke paused, looking like he’d had a sour taste in his mouth. “We’ll never turn, you’re wasting your time!” Leia eyed him, noticing how sure he was that their souls would never convert to darkness. She couldn’t deny the sick feeling brewing in her stomach.

“When my Master arrives, i’m sure you will believe differently.”

“You know,” Leia called out just as Dooku was about to leave. “You taught Qui-Gon Jinn all he knew about the Force. And Qui-Gon taught Obi-Wan, who then taught our father. I guess, in a way, you’re kind of like our Great-Great-Grandfather.”

“Do not belittle me to the likes of you and Skywalker,” Dooku frowned, his words harsh as Leia raised her hands up in a mocking defeat.

“That’s a bit harsh,” Luke crossed his arms, staring at Dooku dead-eyed.

“You didn’t have to be so brutal,” Leia added. “But I see where you’re coming from. I was just trying to extend a familiar hand. I don’t think our Great-Grandfather will be pleased that you’re going to hand us off to the Sith, was all I was trying to say.”

“You did not know Qui-Gon Jinn,” Dooku seemed suddenly enraged, glaring at Leia with such intensity that she was sure, if she weren’t considered valuable to the Sith Lord, she’d be dead by now. “You cannot speak for him.”

“He wouldn’t want this,” Luke spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

Leia rolled her eyes, feeling safe in the fact that Dooku needed her alive. “Considering he was the one who found our Father, I doubt he would hand over the Chosen One to the Jedi to then want the Chosen One’s children to be converted in the ways of the Sith. It just doesn’t add up.”

Dooku growled, looking ready to grab his lightsaber and cut the twins down when he suddenly turned and left the make-shift prison that was trapping the twins. Droids stepped forward, guns held in their hands to add extra security.

“Bye Great-Great-Grandfather!” Leia yelled after him, hoping to enrage him even more.

“What a nerf,” Luke rolled his eyes, pushing himself to sit against the wall. “Does he actually think we’ll turn to the Dark Side? No way! Wait till Dad finds us and saves us; he’ll be sorry then.”

Leia felt her annoyance dissipate as she pondered Dooku’s words. “His Master is coming? Palpatine? Does he seriously mean the _EMPEROR_ is coming here to turn us? Luke we’ll die!”

“No we won’t—“

“Or we’ll become _evil_ ,” Leia spoke the last word like the thought was too horrible to imagine. She took in a shaky breath, sliding across the small cell to sit beside her brother.

“Dad’ll save us,” Luke talked with such certainty.

“And what if he doesn’t?”

“We won’t turn Leia,” her brother shook his head. “I know we won’t.”

“You don’t know that! When faced with THE SITH LORD himself, you can’t promise that you’ll say no!”

“Yes I can,” Luke grabbed one of her shaking hands with his own. “I know myself and I know you, we wouldn’t do that.”

 _But you did_ , she wanted to say. _You did turn to the Dark and you did sell your soul to Palpatine_. In one timeline her brother had been consumed by anger and hatred in such a way that he’d tried to kill her— whose to say that doesn’t occur again?

Taking in a shaky breath, Leia made a point to look into Luke’s blue eyes. He wasn’t evil . . . yet. But how long until those bright eyes turned yellow? “Luke, there’s something i’ve been meaning to tell you. I keep having visions, or dreams— i’m not really sure.”

“Me too,” Luke nodded, his eyes sparkling with sudden joy. His expression made Leia pause.

“You have?”

“Yeah! Only a few times, i’ll admit but they’re so wonderful Leia. We’re always younger— the last vision or dream I had, we were both toddlers— and we’re with Mom and Dad. We’re always so happy.”

“You keep seeing a future with Mom and Dad?” Leia’s lip wobbled; in the time that she’d been having nightmares of killing her brother, Luke had been dreaming of a perfect life with their parents. How was that fair?

“Don’t you?” Luke frowned, suddenly realising his sister was sad.

“No,” Leia wiped away a single tear, picturing the expression future Luke made when he’d tried to kill her. “I keep having visions of the life we left— the future we almost had.”

“What happens?”

“You turned Luke,” the words were so horrible, she had to choke them out. “To the Dark Side, you turned. We were fighting and you were . . . so angry, Luke! There was so much hatred in you and your eyes were yellow and you tried to kill me!”

“Did I?” Luke sounded as if he’d never forgive himself if she said yes.

“No,” Leia bit her lip. “It’s worse.”

“How can there be anything worse than me trying to kill you?!”

“I killed _you_ Luke,” Leia wanted to banish the memory. “We were fighting and I bested you and I _hurt_ you. Your eyes were blue when you died and you thanked me for saving your soul. I woke up after that.”

Her brother was silent for a second, taking it all in. “But that won’t happen this time. We’ve changed the past, i’m sure of it. I doubt Dad will become a Sith after all we told him. I won’t be under the influence of Palpatine in this timeline and therefore I won’t become a Sith. It’s okay Leia, that won’t ever happen.”

“But Palpatine is coming _here_! What if it does?”

Luke bit his lip, unable to fathom how he could turn evil. He couldn’t imagine allowing such rage and hate to fill his every cell until that was all that was left. “We have to trust in Dad. He’ll save us, i’m sure of it.”

Leia hoped he was right.

* * *

“Use the Force Anakin!” Obi-Wan half-yelled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. It had been over an hour since the twins had been kidnapped and his former Padawan had not yet calmed down enough to be able to sense Luke and Leia’s location.

“Master you need to calm down,” Ahsoka was frowning at the pacing Anakin. She, too, was worried about the twins but only Anakin could discover where they were through the bond he and Luke had formed but he was too worked up to sense an exact location.

“He took them!” Anakin yelled for the hundredth time, pacing around outside the med-centre, the feelings of loss and anger rising up in him. His mind felt like a flurry of thoughts and feelings, moving at a fast pace until all he felt was like ripping his hair out. “What are we going to do?!”

Obi-Wan stepped forward, placing a hand on Anakin’s shoulder and stopping his pacing. “You must breathe, Anakin. You need to stop and let your feelings go—“

“Let my feelings go!” Anakin yelled, sounding suddenly exhausted. “They’re my children; I _can’t_ let my feelings about them go!”

“I do not mean give up,” Obi-Wan backtracked. “I mean you need to focus. Dooku has Luke and Leia, yes, but he doesn’t know that you’ve connected to your son. You need to follow that link so we can find them. But you need a clear mind.”

“Should you tell the Council?” Padme whispered, her arms wrapped around her chest as she watched the Jedi. Watching her children get taken from her had opened a wound she’d never known existed. It was like her heart had been ripped from her body.

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. “As much as I hate to admit this, we don’t have time. We cannot properly explain to the Council the current situation when the window of opportunity to save the twins grows smaller every minute. We’ll have to do this alone.”

“Master,” Ahsoka snapped her fingers. “Focus!”

“Perhaps meditation will help?”

Anakin nodded sharply, feeling weary as he sat down on the cold floor of the landing pad. He’d always hated meditation and the art of sitting still for so long was not one he’d ever possessed but even he knew this was the only way to clear his head.

Slowly, Anakin closed his eyes and allowed the Force to flow through him. Like a breath of fresh air filling his lungs, Anakin felt the Force become a part of him, clearing his mind and reducing his anxieties. The bonds in his mind strengthened, one reaching out to Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and even Padme. There was a smaller, fainter one that was tethered to Luke, stretched out so thin he was afraid to touch it in case it snapped.

With feather-like gentleness, Anakin allowed his Force presence to brush against his bond to Luke, his grip growing stronger when it didn’t break apart. ‘ _Luke_ ,’ he called out, feeling around for the possible presence of his son. ‘ _Where are you_?’

_Images filled his mind; he was standing on sand, walking under the intense heat of twin suns. Tatooine, he realised. There was a mechanical breathing sound filling the air and something heavy on his head, trying to weigh him down. Before him stood an igloo-shaped homestead, the crying sound of a child seeming to echo out. He fastened his pace, heading down the homestead’s narrow corridors to where the cries seemed to originate._

_A boy, no older than 11, with blonde shaggy hair was lying on a bed, a cold towel on his head as he moaned in pain. An older man and woman were sitting beside him with worried expressions on their faces. The woman held a glass of water in her hand and she was encouraging the young boy to sip from it._

_"You need to drink the liquid sweetheart, you've been out in the heat too long!" The woman wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek, bringing the glass to the boy's lips. The boy took a long gulp before falling back on the bed with a moan._

_“What happened to him?” Anakin didn't mean to yell but his voice came out rough and robotic-like. He was staring down at the boy with complete worry, his heart twisting at the sight of this child so ill and in pain._

_“What-- what are you doing here?” The vaguely familiar elder man cried out, looking stricken. He jumped off the boy's bed, standing protectively over them. “You weren’t meant to find us!”_

_The boy looked up from his bed, his eyes were glassy and there were multiple sunburns on his face and arms. Luke, Anakin realised. He recognised those blue eyes immediately. So that meant the man before him was Owen._

_“You stole my son!” He yelled-- and Anakin vaguely realised there was a lightsaber in his hand, raised as if to strike. Anger was filling his every bone, the thought of his son being here whilst he'd been oblivious making him feel murderous. And for the boy to be so uncared for that he'd gotten hurt!_

_"We've stolen nothing from you!" Owen roared, standing his ground. "Luke is ours!" Anakin stepped forward with every intention to cut the man down when a small cry from the bed made him pause._

_“No!”_ Luke’s cry echoed around in Anakin’s head, his eyes opening once more to find himself back on the med-centre landing pad. The bond to Luke glowed brighter like a trail leading the father to his son.

“Well,” Obi-Wan looked curious. “Did it work?”

Anakin touched his head: hair not helmet. “Yes, I know where they are.”

It was time to get his kids back.

* * *

Leia sat in front of the ray shield, glaring at the droids standing guard. Her brother was pressed up against the wall, looking glum. “Why haven’t you let us go?” She asked with fake concern, startling the droids.

They turned to each other and if droids could look confused, Leia was pretty sure they would have been frowning right about now. “Our orders are to keep the prisoners guarded.”

“Not us!” Leia shook her head. “We aren’t prisoners. We’re Dooku’s guests. We’re cousins twice-removed.”

“Uhh,” one droid turned to the other, his gun dropping. “Did you know about this?”

“We’re never told anything!” The other complained in a metallic voice.

“My cuz won’t be happy when he finds out you’ve been guarding the wrong people!” Leia sighed. “I suggest you let us go and we forget this whole thing.”

“Roger! Roger!” The first droid moved to inactivate the ray shield when the other one noticed Leia’s bound hands.

“Wait a second! She _is_ a prisoner!” The second droid yelled, raising its blaster. “Get back Jedi scum!” His yell made the first droid pause in letting the twins free.

“So close,” Leia sighed, shaking her head. If it had just been two more seconds and she would’ve been free. “You droids are so dumb.”

“Shut up Jedi!”

“I’m not a Jedi!” Leia rebuked, rolling her eyes. “I’m way too cool to be a Jedi.”

“Way too annoying more like,” Luke’s voice sounded behind her. “Stop antagonising the droids before they come in here and shoot us.”

Leia stood up, shuffling over so she was sitting beside him at the wall once more. “I’m pretty sure they are too dumb to even understand how to use their blasters. Idiots,” she rolled her eyes.

They sat in silence for a little while, the both of them stewing in the unfairness of their situation. It seemed that the Force always too great reward in their suffering. First by making them orphans minutes after birth, separating them as children, sending them back in time and then allowing them to get kidnapped by the Sith.

“How come you never talk about your life with Vader?” Leia suddenly spoke up, unable to stand the silence anymore. Throughout the past 3 years, Luke always dodged questions about their Sith Lord father no matter how many times Leia asked.

“What’s there to talk about?” Luke shrugged. He wrapped his arms around his chest, trying to ignore the biting chill spreading through him. He’d never realised how cold it could get whilst floating in space. Dressed in nothing but the hospital pyjamas, Luke was freezing.

(Judging by how much Leia was shaking, he could tell she was too).

“It’s weird that you never answer,” Leia frowned.

“You never talk about life with Bail Organa.”

“Because you never ask.”

Luke let out a sigh, turning his head to the side so he could take in his sister. She was looking at him with an expectant expression. “What do you want to know?”

“What’s it like?”

“Living with a Sith Lord? Fine, I guess.” He sniffed, using his hand to wipe his nose. “Father isn’t around very much; he’s always leaving to fight the Rebels and it seems like the second he comes back home, he has a million things to do. We’ve not actually had a proper conversation in weeks.”

“Were you ever scared of him?”

Luke paused, wondering if he should answer. In one respect it felt like a betrayal if he admitted the truth but it wasn’t like Vader was around to hear it. In a sense, Vader didn’t even exist yet. “Yes. Not because I thought he’ll hurt me but because O know he’ll hurt others. I’ve . . . seen him kill before.”

Leia blanched, her eyes widening at the horrible thought. “What? Why?!”

“A trooper messed up a form or something for my school and he got angry . . . and he choked them. He reached out his hand,” Luke demonstrated, raising a shaking arm. “And clenched his fist like this. The trooper started to choke and he was gagging out apologies and Father just . . . crushed his windpipe. He didn’t even care that I was in the room or crying. In fact, he told me to grow up and understand that not everything in life was perfect.”

“How old were you?”

“13.”

“I’m so sorry Luke.”

Her brother shrugged. “You didn’t do it. It’s things like that that show me just how dark Father really was. When it was just us, he was so . . . normal. He’d make jokes and talk to me about my day but then the smallest of things would set him off and he’d enter this terrible mood. He loved me, I know he did, but I always got the smallest hint that he hated me too.”

“Hated you? Why?” As much as Leia disliked the idea of her brother living with such a monster, she couldn’t deny the fact that they had obviously been close. The Holonet always got spammed with their outings and Luke always defended Vader when needed.

“I was the next Sith heir,” Luke spoke glumly. “I think he knew I would kill him one day to replace him as Palpatine’s apprentice. It was like he hated me because of that but loved me despite it.”

“I’m surprised he never killed you.” She didn’t mean to make it sound mean but it made sense for Vader to eliminate the next heir.

Luke froze for a second. “I think he was going to once. I woke up in the middle of the night one time, it must’ve been only a few weeks after I first moved in. He was just standing there in the dark, his lightsaber in his hand. He didn’t say anything, he was just standing there watching me. I said “ _Dad, what are you doing?_ ” And he didn’t say anything for the longest time so I started to get scared but then he turned and left the room. We never mentioned it afterwards.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that,” Leia whispered. The thought of her brother being murdered by Vader was so vile to her that she couldn’t fathom the thought. Perhaps in a more terrible world, she’d have lost her brother only 6 months after they’d parted.

“Anakin’s a lot like Vader,” Luke mumbled. “I know they’re the same person but you understand my meaning. He’s the Vader I knew when it was just us. He’s funny and he cares about us. I wish Father had been like that more.”

Leia was about to reply when a sudden cold chill ran down her spine. The hairs on her arms raised and the feeling of dread filled her every nerve. Darkness seemed to hang over the ship and the amount of hate that touched Leia’s mind left her feeling scared.

Palpatine had arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone in the comments made a joke about Dooku being the twins great-great-grandfather and that made me laugh so i decided to include it in-- thanks for that comment, hope you enjoy the chapter


	24. An Evil Sith Lord Named Palpy

“Gone to rescue them, you have.” Yoda didn’t phrase it as a question. Anakin sighed, nodding. There was no point denying it when he was standing on his Star Destroyer right now, halfway to the location of the twins. It seemed Dooku had chosen dead space as the place he stashed the twins.

“Yes, Master,” Anakin bowed his head, fearing the repercussions yet not caring at the same time. Obi-Wan stood beside him, like the anchor he needed.

“Decisions like that should be made by the Council, Skywalker,” Mace Windu glared, his blue from radiating unspoken annoyance. Anakin had the upmost respect for Mace Windu but he couldn’t deny the man often acted like he had a stick up his bum half the time.

“With all due respect Master Windu,” Obi-Wan spoke up on his former Padawan’s behalf. “The abduction of the twins was a sudden shock. Chasing after Dooku was the only way we could track his location.”

Anakin hid his surprise well at the fact Obi-Wan was blatantly lying to the Council. Turning a blind eye to Anakin’s forbidden marriage was one thing but refusing to admit that Anakin had bonded with Luke and they were using that as a trail to find the twins was another thing. He was consciously making the effort to protect his former Padawan and lie to an Order he held dear.

“I still don’t like it,” Mace Windu frowned. “Stay where you are. Master Koon and I will take over the mission. Send us the co-ordinates and we’ll leave immediately.”

“It’ll be too late!” Anakin’s outburst made everyone, including himself, cringe. There was a fear festering away in his chest, worrying him about his children. Every second that passed, that worry grew and grew.

“What my Master means,” Ahsoka jumped to his recuse. “Is that we’re already here. Dooku’s ship is on our scopes. It seems cruel to let the twins suffer for longer rather than effectively save them sooner.”

“Skywalker is too emotionally attached,” Windu didn’t relent. “He could prove dangerous to save the twins.”

“The twins are more likely to come with me than you,” Anakin swallowed down his fear. Whether the Jedi Council agreed for him to lead this rescue mission or not, he was going to do it. It just made it easier if they said yes. “They aren’t exactly go-with-the-flow kids and they may not trust you to save them. The last thing you need are two stubborn teenagers making the rescue mission worse. Master Windu, i’ve already informed my men of the plan and we’re ready to go. I need to be the one to do this.”

Windu was silent for a short while but the frown on his face grew when he replied. “Very well. I hope the rescue mission is a success.”

“Force be with you, may it,” Yoda bowed his head as the call shut off.

“That could’ve gone better,” Anakin sighed, walking towards the hangar bay where the rest of his clone legion were waiting.

“You got their approval,” Ahsoka shrugged. “So who cares? We need to focus on the twins now.”

“You remember the plan?” Anakin paused, eyeing his apprentice. They’d run over the rescue mission at least a million times but where most rescue missions involved people who weren’t Anakin’s future children, he felt far more nervous for this one.

Ahsoka nodded, “You and Master Kenobi will take on Dooku whilst I go find the twins. Once I reach them, I inform you and we rendezvous back at the hangar and we leave.”

Anakin liked how dedicated she sounded to the simple mission. “In and out,” he agreed. “No detours. We take on Dooku as a distraction and when the twins are safe we leave immediately. No hero acts.”

“Agreed,” Obi-Wan rubbed his beard. “The twins should be located on the fourth floor on Dooku’s ship in the cargo hold. No doubt it’ll be ray shielded with droids on guard.”

“So just another day in the field,” Ahsoka teased.

They approached the hanger bay, where hundreds of clones were running around as they prepared for battle. Anakin wondered if it was overkill to get so many troops to invade Dooku’s shuttle but he knew the bigger the distraction, the less chance Dooku or his Separatist droids would be able to effectively keep the twins in place.

“Sir!” Rex stood to attention when Anakin approached several of the 501st as they prepared their blasters.

“You ready for some action Rex?” Anakin tried to sound calm. It was just another rescue mission, he told himself. Except it wasn’t. If something went wrong and something bad happened to the twins . . . Anakin couldn’t even imagine how he’d feel. Now that the truth was out and the twins have been revealed as his future children, he can’t deny the overwhelming love he feels for them— it’s like they’re an extension of his heart, manifested into two small teens.

(He was slightly afraid for how overpowering the emotion would grow to be when, in the near future, he’ll get to hold Luke and Leia in his arms as newborns.)

“Always sir,” Rex chuckled lightly. It was clear he was worried too, judging by the small frown that seemed glued to his face. The Clone Captain hadn’t been in the twins company for long but the fact that Luke had saved his life was something Rex held very highly. When he’d discovered the twins had been abducted, he hadn’t even wasted a second to prepare his troops.

“Sir, is it true?” Fives stepped forward. His helmet was off and there was a deep frown written across his face. “There are rumours that the rescue mission is for Luke and Leia Benjamin? Some of the men are saying that Dooku kidnapped them?”

Anakin braced himself, nodding. It felt weird to hear the fake last name the twins had originally called themselves by; ever since he’d found out the truth, his own last name just seemed to fit them perfectly. “Unfortunately the rumours are true, Dooku is holding them on his ship.”

“I swear, if he hurts a hair on their heads!” Fives clenched his fist, a snarl appearing on his face. “I’ll kill that Separatist scum with my bare hands!”

“Count me in,” Tup appeared out of nowhere, an identical snarl on his face too. They’d only spent one lunch with the twins but both Fives and Tup had developed a deep caring for the teens and both knew they would stop at nothing if something bad had happened to them.

“Brothers!” Rex yelled, clearly disappointed with their display. “No more of that—“

“It’s okay Rex,” Anakin held his hand up before turning to the clones. “If Dooku has hurt the twins in any way then trust me, there will be a queue on who kills him: led by me.”

“They’ll be fine, sir,” another clone stepped forward. Echo, Anakin realised. “We’ll save them before it comes to that.” His voice was so soothing and logical that Anakin felt inclined to believe him. They’d be alright— they had to be.

“I hope you’re right,” Fives didn’t unclench his fist despite Rex’s increasing glare. “Or we’ll be single-handedly ending the war without a second thought.”

Anakin was about to reply when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a wisp of brown hair. A frown graced his features as he turned on his heel, following the brunette with quick steps. When in reach of his wife, Anakin grabbed her arm so he could turn her to face him.

“What are you doing here?” He hissed to Padme, trying to keep his voice low so the passing clones didn’t hear.

“I’m here for the same reasons as you!” Padme frowned back. She was dressed in light brown clothes with a blaster strapped to her hip. “To save our children, Anakin!”

“This is a Jedi Rescue Mission Padme!”

“And i’m their mother!” Padme seemed to be having none of it, her glare growing as she crossed her arms. “I need to be here to help them.”

“I guess we know where Luke and Leia got their stubbornness from,” her husband sighed.

Padme pointed her finger at Anakin. “Don’t try and act as if there is no such thing as Skywalker stubbornness!”

“And yet which side of their genes has snuck aboard a Republic flagship in the same manner the twins did?”

“You would do the same!” He couldn’t deny she was telling the truth.

“You can get hurt,” Anakin frowned.

“So could you,” Padme sighed, taking in a shaky breath. “Ani, I haven’t been there for them. My children don’t know me because I died before I could raise them! I left my babies in an unsafe Galaxy without any mother to love them. I wasn’t there when I should’ve been; I have to be there now.”

Anakin looked over his shoulder to check no one was noticing. Sure, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan knew the truth but the last thing he wanted was for the clones to start gossiping about their relationship. He knew certain members of the 501st who would spread it round like blaster fire.

When sure no one was paying attention, he covertly held Padme’s hand in his own, giving it a squeeze. “I know what you mean. I was a Sith! I couldn’t have acted in any way like a loving father to our son and I didn’t even know our daughter! We’ll get them back Padme, okay? Things will be better this time.”

“I have to come on this mission.”

Anakin sighed. He didn’t like it— not one bit— but he knew she was right. If the Council had said no, he would’ve still gone. Being a Mother and Father beat Senator and Jedi any day.

“Stick with Rex,” Anakin kissed her forehead, pointing in the direction of his clone legion. “He’ll look after you. Make him brief you on the plan. We will rendezvous on Dooku’s hangar once Ahsoka gets the twins.”

“I love you Ani,” Padme bit her lip, looking up into her husband’s eyes.

“And I love you Angel. Now, let’s go teach Dooku a lesson on what happens if you piss off Mom and Dad Skywalker.”

* * *

Leia refused to admit she was scared. The hairs on her arms were standing on end as four droids marched her and Luke down the dimly lit corridors to what felt like their deaths. Their hands were still bound and with no weapons, neither of them were dumb enough to attempt an escape.

‘ _What are we going to do_?’ Luke asked through their bond.

‘ _There’s nothing we can do_!’

‘ _We have to do something! We can’t march to the Sith and just accept this!’_

‘ _What do you suppose?_ ’ Leia sighed, feeling suddenly fatigued. ‘ _We run away? We jump the droids? There’s four droids circling us now! We have no weapons to defend ourselves and our hands are tied up.’_

Luke went silent for a second. ‘ _This is really happening isn’t it? We’re being marched to the Sith_.’

‘ _Haven’t you met Palpatine before?’_

‘ _Sure, but Father was always there to protect me and I was too young for him to be able to convert me. This feels far more dangerous than standing beside the Emperor on Empire Day.’_

Leia had to admit he had a point. ‘ _We’ll be okay_ ,’ even to her own mind, it didn’t sound true. They were being marched towards the Sith Lord himself, where they’d be presented with the ultimatum: darkness or death. No matter what they chose, their souls would be taken from them.

“Through there,” one of the droids behind them shoved his blaster into the twins back, pushing them through a dark archway into what looked a little like a throne room. The area was black with red lights decorating the side, making the room look eerie. Dooku stood to one side beside the massive, metal chair placed at the front of the room, a snarl on his face.

Sat on the throne chair, a hood covering his face, was Palpatine. Just looking at him made the twins’ hairs stand on end and fear rush through their body. This was it. This was their death.

“Young Skywalkers,” Palpatine’s voice sounded croakier than usual, his voice deepening as he smiled in such an evil way under his hood. “You’ve finally joined us!”

“Let us go!” Leia suddenly yelled, panic growing in each cell of her body. Their had to be a way to escape! She glanced behind to see the archway they’d been pushed through was now sealed by a metal door.

“But you are my guests,” Palpatine feigned innocence. He cackled loudly. “Do join us, come forward.” When the twins didn’t move, Dooku raised a hand, forming a half fist as he pulled it against his chest. Like a rush of wind, the twins were pushed forward, their feet having no control to stop them as they were brought only a few feet from where Palpatine sat; both of them fell to their knees.

“That’s better,” Palpatine snarled. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you two,” he tapped his fingers against the armchair of the throne. “Let me look into your faces.”

Once again, like an invisible hand pulling their chins up, the twins heads clamped in place so they were forced to look up at the Sith before them.

Palpatine hummed. “So very much like your parents. I see both Amidala and Skywalker in you. And the power . . .” he paused, acting like he’d tasted something sweet. “Oh the power you possess! It is double your Father’s!”

“We’re not Force sensitive!” Luke lied, glaring at the Sith before him.

Without missing a beat, Palpatine raised his hand, shooting out a bolt of lightning which hit Luke square in the chest. The boy fell backwards, yelling in pain for a second before the lightning disappeared and he was left panting heavily on the floor.

“Lies!” Palpatine hissed.

“Don’t hurt him!” Leia screamed, unable to break free from the invisible hold to reach her brother. She could feel an echo of his pain through their link and it made Leia want to punch the Sith before her in the face.

“Hurt him? Oh no, no, no,” Palpatine sneered. “I can do far worse than hurt him if your ignorance continues. You are powerful in the Force, don’t deny it.”

“What do you want from us?” Leia glared as Luke was once again pulled up into the position from before by the invisible hand. It was a dumb question, it was clear what he wanted.

“Your allegiance to the Sith.”

Luke mentally rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the pain coursing through his body. ‘ _Could’ve guessed that one_ ,’ he sent through the bond to his sister.

“With your combined Force abilities, the Sith will prevail! Pledge your souls to me now, children. Pledge to the Dark Side and feel the unparalleled power course through your veins! Together, we shall be unbeatable!”

‘ _Is he for real?_ ’ Leia pulled a face as she spoke to Luke through their bond. ‘ _He thinks he can pitch the Dark Side— the EVIL side of the Force— to us so casually? No emotional blackmail? No pep talk? No free cookies? Is he plain stupid?’_

‘ _Maybe his brain is lost inside that hood?_ ’ Luke suggested.

“With all due respect,” Leia’s voice dripped with contempt. “I think I can vouch for my brother and myself when I decline that generous offer.”

Palpatine didn’t react the way they expected. Instead of anger and lightning shooting from his fingers, he let out a cackled laugh. “You have your Father’s spirit, child.”

“You won’t change our minds,” Leia held strong, keeping her chin up as she glared at Palpatine. “We won’t become evil— we won’t turn into versions of _you_!”

“Won’t you?” Palpatine’s voice lowered, a dark and oppressive tone making the twins’ hairs stand on end. Like someone had turned out the lights, darkness flooded their vision as a creeping fog started to flow around them. They knew they were still on Dooku’s ship kneeling before two Sith Lords but their eyes could only see the dark and the fog.

It was too dark to see but the twins shivered as the sound of voices invaded their ears. Starting as muffled cries, the voices got louder and louder until it became almost deafening. The smoke around them glowed red they started to recognise the familiar voices.

“ **Please, no**!” Ahsoka’s cry came first.

“ **You were my babies! Stop! Turn back while you still can!** ” Their mother screamed in distraught.

“ **You were the light!** ” Anakin sounded mixed between anger and despair. “ **You were _my_ light! How could you do this**?”

“ **This isn’t you!** ” Obi-Wan yelled, each word hitting the twins in the gut.

“ **Twisted, the young Skywalkers have been** ,” Yoda hummed in their minds. “ **Gone are the children we once knew**.”

“ **I love you! Please, come back to me** ,” Padme’s voice was nothing but a whisper.

“ **You were better than this!** ” Ahsoka sobbed, her voice breaking.

“ **You’re being manipulated!** ” They recognised the voice from one of the Jedi Council members they’d been interrogated by.

“ **Turn back while you still can!** ”

“ **You were _my_ light!**”

“ **Twisted . . .** ”

“ **—better than this!** ”

“ **This isn’t you! Don’t fall victim to the Sith mind-tricks!** ”

“ **You were my babies!** ”

“ **No!** ”

“ **—manipulated!** ”

“ **Leia? Luke? No—ahh!** ” Rex’s voice ended abruptly, sending chills down the twins spines.

A creeping sensation ran up Leia and Luke’s spines, encircling them in the darkness. It felt like unregulated power, the dark nature of it too scary to touch yet antagonising all at the same time. It wrapped itself around the twins like a blanket and every cell in their body tingled at the seeping power that bled into their skin. It felt cold . . . dark . . . scary . . .

The sound of choking filled the air, several voices all gasping for air that was stolen from them. The echo of broken gasps and cries brought tears to their eyes as their family and friends all started begging into their ears, the dark power making their fingertips burn.

“ **Darlings . . . don’t . . . do . . . this—** “

“ **I’m . . . your . . . father . . . stop . . . it—** “

“ **Juniors . . . please—** “

“ **Luke . . . Leia . . . don’t—** “

“ **Free . . . yourselves . . . from . . . the . . . dark—** “

The choking noise ended with the echoing sound of hundreds of bodies slumping to the floor, all life stolen from them. The burning pain in the twins’ fingertips ended as the bodies thudded onto the ground. All around them the red fog glowed even brighter.

“Now, do you see the power of the Dark Side?” Palpatine’s voice broke through their thoughts. Slowly opening up their eyes, light filtered back in. They were still kneeling before the Sith Lord and Dooku. The power that had enveloped them only seconds ago and had made them feel weightless, like anything was possible, dissolved into nothingness.

In its place, a cold feeling spread through them.

“Do you not see the potential you possess?” Palpatine goaded. “Together, you are an unstoppable force who brings an end to all the Jedi! The Dark Side is your birthright!”

Leia couldn’t deny that the Dark Side had felt good. The power had been limitless and every cell in her body had ached for that sort of Force awakening where she could finally let herself break free.

Yet it had also felt wrong. Distant, dark and dangerous; the Dark Side had been cold like getting an ice burn that left her fingertips bleeding and aching with pain. And the sounds of her family: the pain they had been going through. Leia could picture Padme sobbing in her minds eye, her heart breaking at her children succumbing to the ways of the Sith and bringing about so much death.

Looking over at Luke, noticing how pale he’d become, Leia knew he felt the same.

Despite the agonising pain it brought to tear her hand out of the invisible Force hold that kept her in place, Leia reached out her hand to grab her brothers. They started this together, they were going to end this together.

“We do not wish to join your evil regime,” Leia pushed down all her fear as she spoke loudly.

“And the Dark Side is not our birthright,” Luke added, squeezing Leia’s hand with all the energy he had left. “We’d rather be Jedi, like our father before us!”

Palpatine didn’t stir for a few seconds, almost contemplating what to do next. Then with a sudden snarl and impulsive wave of anger, he sent out a double shot of lightning that hit the twins straight in the chest. They screamed in pain, withering around on the floor as it felt like someone was burning them alive. Every inch of their skin was alight with pain and they could feel the hairs on their arms getting slowly burnt off.

“Then die!” Palpatine spat, sending even more force lightening their way, cackling at the sound of their screams.

 _Then we’ll die_ , Leia screamed in her mind. _Better death than darkness_.


	25. A Soul (maybe) for A Soul

Anakin had just touched his foot down on Dooku’s ship when he felt it: _pain_. Undeniable and mind-splitting pain flowed through his bond with his son, the aching making his head feel like it would break in half. The twins were in danger! And they were hurt!

“Change of plan,” Anakin yelled over the blaster fire as the Separatist droids started shooting the second they left their ship and stepped foot on the hangar bay. “The twins need me now!”

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan yelled back, using his lightsaber to bounce the blaster bolts away from him. “Stick to the plan! Ahsoka will—“

“They’re not in the prison cells! They’re somewhere else on the ship!”

“And how do you know?”

 _How did he know?_ Anakin paused, stretching out to Luke’s side of the bond. The pain became even more unbearable but he pushed it down to focus on the important facts. For whatever reason, he knew it was true that the twins weren’t where they’d expected them to be. It was clear now that kidnapping Leia and Luke wasn’t a simple blackmail tool or hostage situation: the twins were here for a reason.

“Master!” Ahsoka jumped forward, slicing through several battle droids. “Do you feel that? It’s so cold and . . . dark here in the Force!”

Stretching out away from the occupying worries of the twins, Anakin allowed himself to feel the Force around him. Just like Ahsoka said, it was dark here. That meant only one thing: the Sith. This was more powerful than Dooku and Anakin suddenly found himself nervous at the worrying thought of the Sith Lord being here to manipulate his future children.

“We need to act fast!” Anakin yelled, cutting through Separatist droids with ease. He turned to where Rex and the rest of the 501st were engaging in battle. “Rex! Change of plans: Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and I will hunt down Dooku. I want you and the men to stay here to fend off the droids.”

“With all due respect sir, I wish to accompany you in fighting Dooku. My men can hold off these clankers without my assistance.”

Anakin paused. Having more numbers would probably do well in helping his children. “Very well. Fives and Tup can assist too!”

“I’m joining too,” Padme shot down several droids, her voice hard as she made her way over to her husband as he used his lightsaber to backfire blaster bolts.

“No, you’ll stay here!”

“Anakin!” Padme’s voice was full of anger as she shot down several more droids. “I’m coming— end of story.”

Her husband growled but didn’t argue any further. “Let’s go! Follow me!” He continued to cut down droids as the rest of the Jedi, his wife and the Clones all followed behind. Like a trail of light, Anakin could feel the pain radiating off Luke through their bond. It sent him reeling but Anakin knew this was the only way he could find the twins and fast.

“What’s the plan General?” Rex spoke seriously as they entered a deserted corridor, all following Anakin as he followed Luke’s invisible trail.

“Attack,” Anakin growled.

“We need more of a plan than that!” Obi-Wan shook his head, looking cautiously over his shoulder. He, too, could feel the ice cold presence of the Sith Lord. “We’ll be walking into a trap otherwise!”

“Then so be it!”

“Master!” Ahsoka yelled suddenly. “Rushing into this will only put the twins in more danger. We need to head into this with a cool mind!”

“He’s torturing them!” Anakin yelled back, eyes wide as his voice broke.

Padme’s breath hitched. “Ani, what?”

“I can feel their pain! The Sith are torturing them and I won’t stand here and formulate a long plan when Luke and Leia need us now!”

Obi-Wan drew in a deep breath, understanding the urgency of the situation. “Very well. Anakin and I will continue forwards. Ahsoka, Padme and the Clones will go around. I’m guessing the twins are located Portside?”

Anakin stretched out with the Force to confirm. “Yes.”

“Then let’s go. We shall attack once we arrive.”

“Be safe,” Padme gave her husband a longing look, worry flashing in her eyes. “I would prefer to go home with all 3 of my loved ones tonight.”

“Funny,” Anakin returned her worried gaze. “I was going to say the same to you.” He turned to the Clones. “Protect Senator Amidala at all costs.”

“We’ll have her back General,” Fives piped up, standing to attention. “The Senator will be safe with us!”

Anakin didn’t question it.

“Anakin, let’s go,” Obi-Wan was already continuing down the corridor as he yelled back for his former Padawan.

“Don’t steal all the fun Skyguy!” Ahsoka teased as she, Padme and the Clones headed in a different direction.

“Wouldn’t dream of it Snips!” Anakin yelled back, catching up to Obi-Wan with ease. They walked in silence for a little while, keeping an eye and ear out for any trouble. After a while, Anakin spoke up.

“Master, i’ve been thinking a lot about what the twins said. About the future and the Empire? And I was wondering, how could us Jedi be so blind to the Sith taking over?”

“Wasn’t it Ahsoka who said it was an inside job?” Obi-Wan hummed.

“But then who is powerful enough to overthrow the entire Republic and gain enough support to formulate an entire Empire?” Anakin frowned. He could think of a few powerful people he believed were evil enough but none of them were in a high enough position to successfully form an Empire.

“I’ve been wondering too,” Obi-Wan admitted. “And yet no one seems to fit the part. Except . . .”

“Except who?” Anakin frowned, disliking his Master’s hesitation.

Obi-Wan paused for a second, realising the full gravity of what he was about to say. “He’s the most powerful person in the entire Galaxy. Not even the entirety of the Jedi Order outweighs the power and hold he has on the Galaxy. If anyone were able to create an Empire, surely it would be—“

“You can’t be suggesting the Chancellor!” Anakin growled, thinking of the kind man who’d taken him under his wing as a child. Palpatine had been there for Anakin every time he and Obi-Wan quarrelled; he’d told him all about the massacre of the Sand people and Palpatine had brushed away all his fears about becoming a great Jedi. The thought of that man being so completely evil seemed insane to him. “What you’re suggesting is treason!”

“Think about it Anakin! Who has complete control of the army? Who has influence over the Order? Who is the figurehead of the War? Palpatine has unlimited power over the Republic, it would be simple for him to destroy it all in favour of an Empire.”

“The Chancellor’s allegiance is to democracy!”

“A Sith’s allegiance is to himself and evil,” Obi-Wan shot back. “There has been a plot to destroy the Jedi for over a decade now. I fear everything that has happened prior to the twins turning up has all been part of the Sith’s plan.”

“I refuse to accept the treason you’re suggesting,” Anakin huffed.

“Well,” Obi-Wan paused as they rounded a corner to find a dark archway before them. Four droids stood guard, all of them yelling as the Jedi came rushing forward to slice them in half. They faced the archway, knowing full well the twins were inside. “We’re going to find out the truth soon.”

* * *

The pain coursing through the twins was unbearable. It seared their skin and made their blood boil, the lightning rolling over them in waves as it slowly burnt them to death. Leia tried to reach out to Luke through their bond but any sort of physical or mental activity and the pain doubled. All they could do was wither on the floor and scream.

Through the haze that surrounded them as the pain overpowered them, Leia heard a faint remark by Palpatine as he sent Dooku away to deal with something else. (“Go deal with the intruders, leave these insolent children to me”.)

“The full force of the Dark Side will destroy you!” Palpatine sneered, enjoying their pain. “Perhaps you are having a change of mind?”

The pain alleviated for a sweet second, Luke’s entire body spasming from the lightning that had been rolling over his skin. “Never! You monster!”

Leia was about to agree when a sudden thought popped into her mind. Her eyes widened as the realisation dawned on her. “It was you who blew up the Senate!” The words rung true in her mind, the dislike she felt for Palpatine growing each second. “You’re the one who planted the bomb!”

Palpatine sneered. “And yet my plan backfired for you did not perish in the fire.”

“You did all of that— you killed all those people — just to kill me?” Leia felt sick at the thought. She thought of Rhee and how the poor girl’s parents had died in the blast. She thought of all the lives she’d felt come to a screeching halt when the building had erupted into flames. All of that had been to kill her. It was a sickening thought to process.

“Do you see now how death and destruction follows your family name?” Palpatine’s wicked smile under his hood sent shivers down the twins spines. “The Dark Side is in your nature!”

“Only because you made it so!” Luke yelled, glaring at the monster before him.

“Yeah!” Leia added. “You’re the evil one who creates the death and destruction. And at one point, yes, you did have control over Anakin and yes, the Skywalker name was tainted by darkness but we belong to the light! Skywalker's are inherently good!”

Palpatine lips pressed into a thin line and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen as he sat further back on his make-shift throne. “The power you possess is too great to be left for grabs. If you refuse the Sith then death will be brought upon you.” He spoke so casually that it made Leia feel disgusted. How could murder be referred to with such little emotion?

“I would rather die an honourable death rejecting evil than succumb to the Dark Side,” she spat, trying to regain her breath as her body recovered. Her feet couldn’t stop twitching and every muscle in her body ached.

“The Dark Side is your father’s legacy,” Palpatine hissed. “His soul in your timeline belongs to me. Just as yours belong to me now.”

“Our father won’t turn this time,” Luke spoke with such confidence. “He knows the truth now, he knows what not to do!”

“We shall see,” Palpatine sneered. “You expect him not to fall to the Dark when the same situations occur once more? Between darkness and losing the ones he loves, Skywalker will always choose the Dark!”

Leia shook her head. “Turning to the Dark is how he _loses_ the ones he loves. He wouldn’t lose them otherwise.”

“You pledge your souls to me now and Anakin Skywalker’s soul will be left free,” Palpatine suddenly piped up. His croaky voice made the twins cringe but his words echoed in their minds. “You can save your father by this one simple act!”

 _Except it wasn’t a simple act_ , Leia thought with slight delirium. Turning to the Dark Side wasn’t like taking the blame for your friends and refusing to admit names, it wasn’t like stealing a candy bar from a shop or drinking an alcoholic beverage before the legal age. This was selling your soul to the Devil and potentially putting thousands of lives at risk.

Yet Palpatine was promising to save their father. Two Skywalkers for the guaranteed safety of one.

‘S _urely we aren’t actually listening to him, right?_ ’ Luke yelled over their bond. ‘ _We aren’t really considering this_!’

‘ _He’ll leave Anakin’s soul alone_ ,’ Leia whispered back. So many thoughts were swirling in her head that she felt ready to pass out. ‘ _That was our mission right: save Anakin’s soul!’_

She thought of Daughter, with her echoing words and glowing form. Leia thought of how Daughter had entrusted her to save Anakin Skywalker: The Chosen One. It was up to her and Luke to do the impossible and every step of the way that they’d been in the past hadn’t seemed to draw up any possible ways to complete the mission. All they’d done is mess around with their parents and insult the Council.

Was this how they saved Anakin?

Perhaps if they sacrificed themselves then their father would be free to go? He’d live out his life the way he should’ve without Palpatine’s influence and everything would be okay.

The twins would be reborn and their future selves would succeed in living a happy life due to the sacrifices made by their past selves.

‘ _But selling our souls won’t do any good!_ ’ Luke shot back.

_‘Why not?’_

_‘Our mission is to stop the Sith from destroying the Skywalker family! We’re defeating the object if we do as he wants._ _What even makes you think he’s telling the truth? He’s a Sith, duh! Sith lie! It’s basically one of their key principles: to manipulate and deceive people! How do we know that the second we turn he won’t target Dad again?’_

Leia had to admit her brother had a point. The Sith weren’t honourable like the Jedi, they lied for a living and did all they could to get what they wanted. How could she be sure that Palpatine wouldn’t twist their father and create a lineage of Sith with Skywalker blood?

Stretching out with the Force, Leia closed her eyes and allowed herself to float away from the throne room and away from the Sith. _What would happen?_ She asks to the Force. _Show me the truth . . ._ Force visions never came easily to Leia before but for some reason, this time, an image filled her mind. It was sort of like a memory yet rather than living it, Leia was on the side lines watching.

_“Brother, I see you’re back,” a version of herself approached a blonde boy that must be Dark Luke. She was wearing black robes with her hair tied up into a bun. A lightsaber hung on her waist and there was a dark look in her eyes. “How did the mission go?”_

_Dark Luke flipped his lightsaber in his hand, a nasty smirk growing across his face. His hair was darker than Leia remembered it and he was wearing identical black robes to herself. “A success as always.”_

_“There are rumours you destroyed all three generations of General Harber?”_

_“The man was a traitor to the Empire,” Dark Luke spat, his voice getting husky and low. “I did what I had to do.”_

_“And that included killing both his pregnant wife and 5 year old child? Not to mention his parents and uncle as well. Rumour holds it that not even their pet Loth-Cat survived.” Dark Leia spat, crossing her arms._

_“Don’t act all high and mighty with me, Princess! As if you haven’t done worse! Was it not you who massacred a whole school last month because they were teaching anti-Imperial sentiment!”_

_“There is a difference between duty and cold blooded murder Luke!”_

_“A difference to which neither of you have yet to understand,” a new voice spoke up. Anakin Skywalker stood before them, dressed in similar dark robes to them and a hood covering his face. A large scar, bigger than the one above his eye, ran down his left cheek in a jagged movement. The eyes under his hood were bright yellow with wisps of red and he seemed to be glaring at them._

_“Father,” the twins spoke in unison, bowing towards Anakin._

_“I hear the mission was a success, my son; congratulations.”_

_“Thank you Father.”_

_“The Emperor is proud of both of your recent successes— as am I.”_

_“We just wish to serve the Empire, Father,” Dark Leia spoke with such passion that the younger version of herself, the one watching the vision, hated her for it. She should hate the Empire! The Leia currently watching the vision had done everything she could to discreetly block the Empire’s trading and sell information to the Rebels. She’d envisioned herself as a Rebel Leader when she’d grown up and the thought of actually working for the Imps made her sick._

_“How is Mother holding up?” Dark Luke suddenly asked, his demeanour softening slightly._

_Anakin paused, his frown getting deeper. “She is . . . doing well. The birth of your younger selves is underway; I suspect you to be reborn upon this hour.”_

_“There are no complications?”_

_“Your mother is holding up well,” Anakin nodded, flexing his metal hand for a second. “I fear, however, that your presences in this timeline are slowly diminishing the life forces of the children in her womb.”_

_“Father?” Dark Leia could feel a dark cloud surrounding Anakin. He seemed to loom over her, his entire presence doubling with intensity and intimidation._

_“Two cannot survive at the same time,” Anakin growled. “My infant children’s lives are slowly being sucked away due to the overwhelming presence you both take up. With you here, they have no chance of survival.”_

_“Father,” Dark Luke frowned, taking a step back. “Surely we can figure out a way to coincide together? Our Master must have a way for us to—“ Leia watched on in horror as her brother’s voice faded away, his hands moving up to his throat as he struggled to take in a breath. Dark Luke’s cheeks went red then blue as he made gagging noises, all the while scratching at his throat._

_Anakin seemed to have little remorse as he lifted up his other hand, doing the same to Dark Leia. The real Leia watched with disgust as the Dark Side encircled the small family, watching as her biological father slowly chocked the life out of his future children in order to save the newborns soon to be born._

_She closed her eyes, retreating away from the vision, as the bodies of the Dark twins fell to the floor._

One thing Leia knew when she reopened her eyes to be back in the throne room, was that they had to die in order for their infant selves to survive.


	26. Return of the Jedi

Anakin could sense danger approaching. He and Obi-Wan were standing outside the dark archway, lightsabers ignited and ready to jump in, when the hairs on his arms stood on end. The air around him seemed to shift and a low ringing sounded in his ear, warning him about an impending threat.

“What is it Anakin?” Obi-Wan frowned, noticing his former Padawan’s uneasy look.

“Danger,” Anakin glanced around them, straining his ears in case the clanking feet of droids were approaching. But there was nothing. “Somethings going to hap-“

A red lightsaber suddenly lit up in the archway and less than two seconds later, Dooku was pouncing from the dark with furious rage. His lightsaber clashed onto a startled Anakin’s, the sound echoing throughout the corridor.

“Dooku,” Obi-Wan glared at the man, lifting his own weapon up to fight. The man in question took a big step back, twisting his lightsaber round in a circle as he eyed the two Jedi.

“I see you managed to follow me,” his voice was low and full of self-importance. “Shame it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

“Where are the twins?” Anakin wasted no time in asking, the anger evident in his tone. They encircled each other, Dooku staying a width apart from where both Jedi stood with their lightsabers raised.

Dooku sneered. “Look at Skywalker playing the part of the worried father!”

“You know the truth?” Obi-Wan spoke at the same time as Anakin.

“How could you possibly know? We only found out hours ago!”

“The Sith know everything!” Dooku’s voice got darker. “Where the Jedi remained oblivious, my Master felt their presence in the Force upon their arrival! He’s been waiting for the chance to . . . _meet_ them for weeks now!”

Anakin shivered, thinking back to a few weeks ago when he’d first met the twins. He could remember how much he’d disliked the two strangers who’d broken into his wife home and how angry he’d been when they’d first snuck onto his flagship. The twins had mentioned how they’d almost been taken as hostages at one point and the thought made Anakin feel nauseas.

What would’ve happened if they had been taken? And the Sith had gotten them before Anakin had known the truth? His children could’ve died weeks ago before he’d even known they were his children!

“Well,” Anakin shrugged his shoulders. “I know the truth now just like you. And that means I would do anything— anything at all— to get my children back. So try me Dooku for my paternal instincts are kicking in and you should fear the wrath of a father trying to get his kids back!”

Anakin lunged at the Sith, with Obi-Wan hot on his heels. Together they attacked Dooku with enough aggression that the Sith was momentarily stunned. Lightsabers clashed and the sound of their humming filled the corridor as they fought.

“You truly care for those children,” Dooku frowned, almost as if he couldn’t fathom the reason why.

“They’re my kids!” Anakin lunged once more but Dooku just met his blow with the same anger. “What could you possibly want from them?”

“Their power is indisputable!” Dooku spat, using the Force to push Obi-Wan back when the man made to attack. “They’d make powerful allies!”

“Luke and Leia would never turn to the Dark Side!”

“We shall see!”

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan suddenly yelled, jumping forward to attack. “I’ll hold him off— you go save the twins!”

Dooku made an inhuman noise, using the Force to try and push Anakin back but Obi-Wan attacked just before he could successfully complete the move. With the Sith busy due to his former Master, Anakin wasted no time in running in the direction of the archway.

Sneaking inside the room, the first thing Anakin noticed was the fact that it resembled a throne room. Darkness hung in every corner with only a red glow keeping the light in. He stayed in the shadows, lightsaber off but held tightly in his hand.

“You pledge your souls to me now and Anakin Skywalker’s soul will be left free,” the Sith Lord sneered, making Anakin’s hairs stand on end. After years of fighting the Clone Wars, they’d finally gotten to the source of all the destruction. The man sitting on the throne right now was the Sith Lord who’d orchestrated the whole war and Anakin couldn’t wait to cut him down where he stood.

“You can save your father by this one simple act!” The Sith carried on. _What a sleemo,_ Anakin glared from the shadows as he watched the despicable monster try to convert his children. He felt his fingers tighten on his lightsaber as anger coursed through his veins. The familiar pull of darkness threatened to envelope him, the feeling almost the same from when he’d slaughtered the Tusken Raiders all those years ago now . . .

 _No!_ Anakin shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Radiating such anger and darkness will only lead him down the path where Padme dies and his children get separated. The memory of reaching out to Luke through their bond only hours ago, where he’d been covered in a full-body suit with a heavy helmet made Anakin shiver. He didn’t want that future.

He wanted the future where he and Padme exposed their marriage to the Galaxy, settled down and raised their children in peace. He wanted his kids to call him Dad just like Luke had that one time and he wanted Leia to look at him like she wasn’t afraid he would break her heart in two. He wanted to kiss Padme each night before bed and tell his kids a story about all the adventures he and Obi-Wan went on.

He wanted to see his children grow up.

But he wouldn’t have that life if he allowed himself to be consumed by anger. Anakin closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he allowed the Force to flow through him. He thought of Padme and how happy she made him, how proud he was of Ahsoka, how grateful he was to Obi-Wan and how much he loved Leia and Luke.

Like the Force was cleansing him, the anger he’d been feeling drifted away. When Anakin re-opened his eyes, he felt a new sense of purpose. His goal was to protect the twins but he didn’t need his anger to save them. All he needed was to trust the Force.

“Now do you see?” The Sith’s voice grated on Anakin’s nerves as he waited for the perfect opportunity to attack. “Sacrifice yourselves for Skywalker’s soul! It is the only way to save your father!”

 _No it’s not_ , Anakin glared. Leia and Luke saved his soul by simply existing and being themselves. It was his genuine and unconditional love for them (despite them not actually being born yet) that has saved him. Anakin knew, no matter what, he would never turn to the Dark Side simply because he would never want his children to suffer the way they had ever again. Luke and Leia deserved a better life than the one he put them through the first time around.

“No!” Leia suddenly screamed, the obvious dislike she held for the Sith being made clear. Anakin hated the fact that his children were so close to a Sith, both kneeling on the ground like slaves. His fingers tightened on his lightsaber at the thought.

Skywalkers would never be slaves again.

Not on Tatooine, not to the Galaxy and definitely not to the Sith.

The Sith’s anger flowed through the Force. Anakin could feel it growing like a tsunami ready to flow over. “I have given you multiple chances, you ignorant fools! Yet you turn away the Dark Side due to misplaced adoration to a father who did nothing but ruin your lives in the future!”

“We’ve told you: he won’t turn again!” Luke sounded so sure that it made Anakin’s heart swell. His son believed in him. Luke honestly, truly believed that his father wouldn’t stray to the Dark once more.

“And because of your blind faith,” the Sith’s voice grew darker and Anakin knew it was now or never. “You shall die!” The Sith raised his hands, his bony, white fingers pointing at the twins just as lightning threatened to spew out and end the lives of the Skywalker twins.

‘ _I love you_ ,’ Leia and Luke both whispered to the other through their bond as they closed their eyes. It was time now. They’d refused the Sith and (hopefully) saved Anakin’s soul. All they could hope was that their future selves who’d be born in under a year, would live a happier life than the ones they had.

But no death came. Where they expected to feel the burning pain from the lightning, they felt nothing. Instead, a grunting noise sounded as a cracking sound filled the air.

‘ _Aren’t we supposed to be dead?_ ’ Leia asked her brother through their bond.

‘ _Uh, yeah?_ ’

‘ _Do you feel dead?_ ’

‘ _By dead do you mean perfectly fine? Because yes_.’

Leia cracked open an eye, fearing what she would see. “Kriff!” Her mouth hung open as she watched Anakin standing in front of her and Luke, his back to them as he used his lightsaber to deflect the Force lightning coming their way.

“Language!” Anakin grunted as he held his place, saving their lives.

“Skywalker!” The Sith seethed, getting angrier each second. “Of course it would be you who ruins everything.” The Force lightning appeased for a second, allowing for Anakin to stumble back but keep a protective stance over his children.

“My reputation proceeds me,” Anakin nodded with sarcasm.

Luke rolled his eyes at his father’s words. ‘ _That’s so you, Leia!_ ’

‘ _Is not!’_

‘ _I guess now we know that sarcastic comments has always been in your blood!’_

Leia chose not to reply, instead keeping an eye on her father and Palpatine. “Keep the twins out of this,” Anakin continued. “This is between you and me now, Sith Lord.”

“Very well,” the Sith paused for a fraction of a second before producing a red lightsaber from within his sleeve and jumping at Anakin with such ferocity it scared the twins. The two lightsabers clashed with vengeance, the sound of it echoing in Leia and Luke’s ears.

“Get out of here now!” Anakin yelled to the twins as he kicked the Sith Lord in the chest, sending him back. “Now! Go!”

“But—“ Leia started to argue as the invisible hand holding them in place on their knees disappeared.

“No!” Anakin spared a second to glance at her, the worry clearly displayed in his eyes. “No arguing this time Leia! Get your brother and go! It isn’t safe here!”

Luke stood up in one quick motion, moving over to his sister and grabbing her hand. “Leia, let’s go!”

“We can’t leave him!” Leia argued as her brother started to drag her away from where Anakin and Palpatine were fighting. “What if he gets hurt?”

“He won’t!”

“How do you know?” Leia ripped her hand from Luke’s as they were about to exit the throne room. The echos of the fight seemed to vibrate in her ears.

“Because Dad doesn’t die yet!” Luke spoke as if it were clear fact. “He’s still alive in our time so how can he die now?”

“We meddled with the timeline! The old timeline is void now! Anything could happen! Vader will no longer exist! The Empire might not form! The Jedi will hopefully survive!”

Luke paused for a second, realisation dawning on him. He’d been so sure Anakin would survive but hearing what Leia had to say and he feared she was right. Their father could die in this new timeline and if he died . . .

“Force, Leia! If he dies now then we won’t be born!”

“Why does everything have to be so complicated!” Leia complained as she turned back to where Anakin and Palpatine were fighting with such intensity. “We have to help!”

“No, you have to get to safety,” Ahsoka’s voice sounded behind them. The Togruta appeared, lightsaber ignited, with Rex and the other Clones. “Where’s Anakin?” Leia just pointed to the fight and Ahsoka wasted no time in jumping in to help.

“Glad to see you kids are fine,” Tup patted Luke on the back as he ran forward to help as well.

“Luke! Leia!” Padme ran up to them, grabbing their faces to check they're okay. “Are you hurt?”

Leia ignored the aching pain from getting electrocuted. “We’re fine. Anakin needs our help!”

“I support what Ahsoka said,” Rex nodded his helmet in the direction of the two Jedi fighting the Sith. “You need to get to safety.”

“Don’t be pains in the ass now!” Fives quipped, making Leia roll her eyes. “Do as the Captain says.”

“Come with me,” Padme moved to grab their hands. “We can head back to the ship; Anakin and Ahsoka will come back once they’ve killed the Sith.”

“But what if they get hurt?” Luke bit his lip, worry filling his bones.

“Don’t talk like that,” their mother shook her head. “They’re both capable Jedi— they’ll be fine.” Even she couldn’t hide her worry. “My goal is to protect you. Now either you come back with me willingly or I get Captain Rex to constrain you.”

“Savage,” Leia crossed her arms, eyeing her mother. “I can tell you’re going to be the disciplinarian when it comes to raising us.”

Padme wiggled a finger at her daughter. “So don’t tempt me. Come on.”

The twins were about to follow their mother when a sudden cry pierced the air. A sickening feeling spread in Leia and Luke’s stomach as they turned to look at the fight. Anakin was hunched over, his metal hand lying several feet away from him as he held his stump to his chest whilst Ahsoka fought the Sith.

‘ _We have to help_ ,’ Leia spoke with ferocity to her brother through their bond. ‘ _If anything, our future lives depend on it!’_

Luke frowned, taking in a deep breath. ‘ _On the count of three: one, two, three!’_

They both used the Force to rip the blasters out of Rex and Fives’ hands, wasting no time in rushing forward as they shot blaster bolt after blaster bolt at Palpatine. “Leave our family alone!” Luke yelled as the Sith dodged all their bullets. “The Skywalkers aren’t yours to take!”

“Insolent fools!” Palpatine roared, sending more Force lightening in their direction.

“No!” Anakin once again jumped in the way, yelling when he had to fend off the lightning with only one hand. “Luke, Leia I told you to go!”

A blaster bolt came shooting past, hitting Palpatine on the shoulder as he hissed in pain. “Stop attacking my children,” Padme shot another blast but the Sith dodged it the second time.

The Force lightning stopped, with Palpatine facing two Jedi, the twins, three Clones and a Senator. He didn’t seem fazed as he glared at Padme Amidala. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance, girl.”

Anakin’s breath hitched, a horrible realisation taking over him. “Obi-Wan’s right,” he whispered like he just discovered a terrible secret. “I know who you are.”

Just then Obi-Wan came running in. His hair was disheveled and he had a burn on his face but the glare on his face stayed in tact. “I see you finally heed my words, Anakin.” He moved to stand beside his former Padawan, both of them raising their blue lightsabers.

“I do occasionally listen to you, Master,” Anakin teased before growing somber as he looked back at the Sith. “It was you i shouldn’t have listened too. Right, _Chancellor_?”

Palpatine sneered, his pale skin pulling up into a dark smile under his hood. He lifted his hood up to reveal his pale face, the wrinkles around his eyes looking far more menacing in the dark light. “You’ve finally worked it out, my boy. I always saw such potential in you, especially when the Jedi didn’t.”

“I don’t believe it,” Anakin shook his head, looking like he’d been slapped in the face. “You’re the Sith Lord! Everything you ever done and everything you ever said has been one big manipulation to turn me to the Dark Side!” He thought of how welcoming Palpatine had been when Anakin had been a boy; the Chancellor had been his friend and confidant every time he’d been lost or confused. The amount of times Anakin had cried about his mother and complained about Obi-Wan seemed countless.

And yet, every encouraging word and motivational speech had all been one big lie. All of Palpatine’s support and praises had been a massive ploy to win over Anakin’s trust. The Sith had preyed on a lonely, insecure boy and Anakin felt raw over the fact that someone he’d seen as his friend having lied to him their entire friendship.

(He wondered if his desperateness to have a friend outside of the Order had made him blind to the obvious manipulation.)

‘ _And it would’ve worked if it weren’t for those meddling kids_ ,’ Leia whispered to Luke through their bond, making her brother roll his eyes.

‘ _Not the time Leia!’_

“How could you?” Ahsoka piped up, looking rather distraught at the news. “You’ve been orchestrating this war on both sides! Think of all the lives that have been lost!”

“Mere casualties for a greater cause,” Palpatine sneered. “The reign of the Republic is coming to an end— the rise of the Sith is coming and a new Government will be brought to bring freedom!”

“The Empire doesn’t bring freedom!” Leia can’t help but speak up, glaring at the Sith. “It’s a tyrannical dictatorship that only causes the Galaxy pain!”

Palpatine ignored her, turning his dark gaze onto Anakin. “Judging by the sudden absence of my former apprentice, there is an opening for you to become my student, Skywalker. Join me and together we can bring peace to the Galaxy!”

“The Dark Side only ever causes me pain,” Anakin grips his lightsaber as tight as he can in his only flesh hand. He glares at Palpatine with a new wave of intensity, knowing that the only outcome of this fight will be one of them cut down. (He hoped it would be the Sith). “I know that now. The Dark Side makes me betray the Order, turn on my best friend and closest thing I have to a father, allows for my wife to die and splits up my children. I will not fall down that path again.”

“Then die!” Palpatine jumped at Anakin once more, their lightsabers clashing with far more ferocity than before.

“My family won’t fall into your grip ever again,” Anakin shook his head, determination crossing his features. Without a second thought, he jumped at the Sith, their lightsabers clashing once more. The fighting resumed with all the non-Jedi firing blasters at the Sith, to which he dodged, and the Jedi attacking Palpatine with such force. Yet the Sith Lord came victorious, managing to avoid even a scratch.

With an almighty roar, Palpatine brought his hand up before slamming it back down. A strong force of wind threw everyone’s footing off, with the Clones flying back into the metal hold of the ship. Padme hit the ground several feet away, unconscious. Even Ahsoka and Obi-Wan hit the ground with a heavy thud, their heads lulling to the side as the safety of sleep pulled them under.

‘ _Luke_?’ Leia groaned through their bond, feeling like someone had punched her a million times in the back of the head. She slowly reached up to feel her head, nausea rolling over her when her hand came back slightly red. ‘ _Are you okay?’_ Since when did she hit the floor?

‘ _Leia_?’ Luke sounded just like Leia felt. ‘ _Ouch_.’ He was laying a metre away from her, sprawled out on the floor in the same manner as all the others par Anakin who continued to fight the Sith.

“The Skywalker bloodline will end tonight!” Palpatine’s voice roared, his words sounding distant in the twins minds. Everything seemed fuzzy as Leia opened her eyes, black dots decorating her vision. She looked for Luke, watching as he slowly stumbled to his feet. In seconds, he was helping pull her up, his face pale and eyes glassy.

What happened next seemed to move in slow motion.

Palpatine managed to best Anakin, leaving the twins’ father on the floor, his lightsaber scattered away to the side and out of reach. The Sith snarled, raising up his hands to finish the job as millions of bolts of lightning queued up in his fingertips.

‘ _We have to save him_ ,’ Luke left no room for argument as all injuries he sustained were forgotten. The Force around them was changing, something bigger than them filling their bones and giving them a sudden wave of strength.

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia noticed a bright figure with long-flowing, green hair and a brilliant white dress. Daughter, Leia recognised. It was clear no one else could see her for her light was too blinding to ignore.

“ **Correct the wrongs of the past** ,” the words echoed in her mind like Daughter was speaking straight to her brain rather than using her lips. “ **Save your Father.** ”

Leia took a deep breath, reaching out to grab Luke’s hand as she used all her strength to race forward. With mere mili-seconds to spare, they managed to block the force lightning coming forwards to kill Anakin as the blast of energy hit them straight in their chests. Despite the pain, they stood their ground, holding strong as they did all they could to protect their Father.

“No!” Anakin screamed, watching as his kids stood over him to protect him. The Sith was too distracted by the pain he was causing, the clear enjoyment written on his face, to notice as Anakin used the Force to call for his lightsaber. Igniting the blade as it moved closer, Anakin held out his hand and watched as his lightsaber moved straight through Palpatine, cutting him in half.

The Sith Lord paused, the lightning stopping abruptly as he pulled an expression of pure resentment before toppling to the ground: his body and legs separate.

“Luke! Leia!” Anakin caught the twins as they fell backwards, both of their bodies twitching and skin smoking from the lightning they’d endured. Unlike last time, this amount of energy had been complied to kill and Leia could feel her body slowly start to give up as her breathing slowed.

“What did you do?!” Anakin yelled, tears welling in his eyes. “No! This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I-It w-was,” Leia choked out, her body still feeling like it was on fire as she stared up into the eyes of Anakin Skywalker, her father. Perhaps in a different life (a darker life) this would’ve happened the other way around and it would be Anakin who had to say his goodbyes.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Anakin sobbed, struggling to hold both of them in his arms. A gasp from afar confirmed that Padme had awoken and within seconds, she was carefully pulling Luke into her arms whilst Anakin continued to hold Leia. Both parents spared each other a glance, their pain reflected in their eyes as they continued to look down at their children.

“My babies, what did you do?” Padme openly sobbed, brushing some of the hair out of Luke’s face. “You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay!”

Luke smiled sadly beside the pain, raising a shaking hand to hold his mother’s. “It’s o-kay, p-promise. W-we’re hap-happy.”

“No!” Anakin yelled once more. “Don’t do this. Don’t leave! You have to stay. I can’t lose you.”

Leia sucked in a breath, feeling her soul start to slip away. Through their bond, she could feel Luke start to go as well. It was like falling asleep, feeling the familiar tug attempt to pull her under into the safety of death’s arms.

“Dad,” Leia whispered, realising with a sudden jolt that this was the first time she’d called him that. It was the first time she’d called _anyone_ that. It felt nice in those final moments to have a Dad. (Leia never realised how, in all her grief of not having a mother, how much she’d missed by not having a Dad.) “Y-you aren’t losing us. Y-you’ll see u-us again.”

“Soon,” Luke whispered as well, closing his eyes. “S-so soon.”

Leia felt as he slipped away, his soul becoming one with the Force as his hand went limp in Padme’s and her brother’s head lulled to the side. Her parents sobs seemed to echo around her as she found peace in those last moments. The pain subsided just a little as Leia looked up into Anakin’s blue eyes so alike to Luke’s.

Leia closed her eyes, allowing the Force to simply take her away. An echo ran though her mind, Daughter’s words soft and caring as Leia let her soul get slipped away. “ **You saved your Father’s soul** ,” Daughter whispered. “ **You did it.** ”

She wasn’t sad as she went— how could she be? She knew this wasn’t goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! (Almost)
> 
> Next chapter is going to be an epilogue! 
> 
> (I know the ending is sad but I wanted it to reflect Return of the Jedi for, in that, Anakin dies for Luke but, in this, the twins die for Anakin. The whole Skywalker Saga is about family + the importance of love so I thought it was fitting to end it with Luke and Leia sacrificing themselves for their parents/a better life).
> 
> (Also, Obi-Wan killed Dooku in this because a pivotal moment of darkness for Anakin was when he killed the Sith in cold-blood and I was trying to show that the twins didn't just save Anakin through their love but by simply being in the past changed dark events as well).


	27. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the delay to this chapter! It was so hard to write! But finally it's done! 
> 
> I've decided to turn this into a series and I'm thinking of adding in one-shots of the Skywalker family as the twins are growing up (so the time between chapter 26 and 27 before the twins regained their memories and are growing up with their parents). Hopefully you like that idea!
> 
> Thank you for all the kind comments and enjoyment over this story! Hope you enjoy the end!

When Leia woke up, she was disorientated. Beside her, Luke snored like nothing was wrong, his hair sticking up in weird angles as they laid on a king bed Leia knew wasn’t theirs. Sunshine poured in through a window the side of the room, slightly blinding her as she gathered her bearings. A dull ache in her head returned as Leia started to wake up.

“Kriff!” The word leapt out of her throat as she shot up, looking around the familiar setting of Anakin and Padme’s bedroom. Both Luke and herself were laying on the bed, on top of the covers, just like they had been weeks ago when they’d first broken into their mom’s apartment. The room swayed slightly at her sudden jolt but she gripped the bedsheets to keep from falling.

“Luke? Leia!” The familiar voice of her father called out from somewhere in the apartment. “Kids, where are you?”

“Here!” Leia yelled back, shocked at how different her voice sounded. She sounded like herself but there was a subtle change in her accent. Gone was the tinge of an Alderaanian accent, replaced by a classic Coruscanti accent instead.

Within seconds, Anakin appeared in the bedroom door, a slight frown on his face. He looked different to how Leia had just seen him but she couldn’t place her finger on as to why or how. “What are you doing in here?” Her father frowned, walking into the room.

“Uh?” Leia paused, not sure how to answer. Why were her and Luke back in their mother’s bedroom? How had they gone from dying on Dooku’s ship at the hands of the Sith to back here? Were they re-doing the past again? But then how did Anakin know who she was?

“The Temple called me,” Anakin didn’t seem to notice Leia’s confusion at her surroundings as he walked closer until he was standing in front of her. Placing his flesh hand on her forehead, he frowned. “Master Che said you both felt sick— something about identical headaches? You should’ve waited for me to come pick you up; you know better than to just leave the Temple without parental permission. Especially when sick.”

“We just wanted to come home and sleep,” the words rang true even though Leia didn’t exactly remember how or why. Her brain hurt for a second as she tried to process everything happening. Raising her head, Leia looked up into Anakin’s eyes and was startled by how she instantly associated his blonde hair and blue eyes as _Dad_. The scar above his right eye yelled Dad. His slight frown whispered Dad. His mechanical hand was Dad.

Whereas yesterday, he’d just been Anakin Skywalker: her biological father; now Leia only saw him as her Dad.

“What was wrong with your own beds?” Anakin smirked, moving his hand away from her forehead when he felt no fever. “How do you feel now, Princess?” The nickname seemed right as Leia answered truthfully. She didn’t associate the name to her Alderaanian Throne but just as a sweet pet-name her Dad affectionately called her.

“Better; a bit disorientated but better.”

“That’s good,” Dad smiled before leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll wake Luke Snore-walker here if you want to get a glass of Nubian tea? Your mother has a million in the kitchen cupboard.”

Leia nodded, moving to do as he suggested when something caught her eye. She heard as Anakin woke up Luke, gently shaking his son’s shoulder and Luke’s sleepy reply of: “Five more minutes, Dad.” But she ignored them as she stepped closer to the Holos decorating her mother and father’s room.

These definitely weren’t here the last time Leia had been in this room (back in the past).

It was the first Holo that took her breath away. Leia approached almost cautiously as she eyed the Holo, showing her mother laying in a med-centre bed. Padme was clearly exhausted but there was a radiant glow coming off her skin as she cradled a newborn baby in her arms. Beside her, standing tall and beaming with pride, stood Anakin; he too was holding a newborn as he smiled down at the infant with a few tuffs of brown hair on her head.

Leia suddenly knew why the Anakin standing in the room with her now looked slightly different. The Anakin in the Holo looked just like Leia remembered when she and Luke had been causing mayhem in the past. But the Anakin with her now was older, he had a few more lines and signs of maturity had toughened out his features.

“How do you feel buddy?” Leia could hear her Dad ask Luke, putting a hand on his son’s forehead as he had just done to his daughter.

Leia didn’t listen to Luke’s reply as she moved to the next Holo. This one was taken on Naboo she realised as she looked at the smiling faces of her family. Her mom was dressed in white, her hair falling down in beautiful waves as she held a toddler version of Leia to her side, the little girl dressed in a pink dress with yellow flowers decorating the hem. Anakin stood in a suit with his hair styled neatly, holding Luke in the same manner as his wife did their daughter.

Moving around the room, Leia took in all the Holos, feeling memories unlock with each glance at the happy life she’d so clearly lived. Another Holo showed Leia, Luke, Pooja and Ryoo all dressed in matching pyjamas. A large, luscious, green tree stood behind them as wrapping paper littered the floor. Their grandmother stood in the background with a large smile, watching as the 4 children all played with the toys they’d been gifted with.

As Leia looked at the Holos she realised the majority were of her and Luke: ones of them sleeping as children, curled up into the other in a way she was sure her parents had cooed at; ones of the twins hugging Obi-Wan with large smiles on their faces as Leia kissed his cheek and Luke hung off his arm, ones of Ahsoka playing with the twins and Rex laughing in the background.

Looking around the room, Leia remembered everything. She remembered the holidays to Naboo, playing with her cousins, laughing with her friends; teasing Luke, begging for Ahsoka to babysit and for Obi-Wan (who they affectionately teased as their Gramps) to come over and tell her and Luke stories about their Dad as a kid. She remembered going to the Senate with her mom and hugging Uncle Bail each time she saw him, she remembered moving from her primary school to the in-built education system of the Temple once she and Luke had reached of-age.

The memories of a bleaker life, one where she was orphaned and Luke was stolen from her, felt like distant dreams now. The pain she’d once been consumed by was gone.

“When’s Mom home?” Leia suddenly asked, turning back to face Dad as he ruffled Luke’s hair with a grin.

Anakin glanced at the chronometer. “Soon— but don’t be too excited, she wasn’t happy when she found out you left the Temple before either one of us could pick you up.”

“It’s those pesky Skywalker genes,” Leia teased. “Always getting us into trouble.”

Dad rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure your mother and I should’ve named you Trouble and Mischief Skywalker because it always seems to follow you, Princess. Don’t go blaming my side of the genes for the mayhem you and Luke cause.”

“You talk about mayhem,” Leia whispered under her breath. “How about when you lose at Uno.”

“Heard that, Princess!” Anakin called, raising his eyebrows at her.

Luke rubbed his forehead, frowning. “Will you both be quiet; my head hurts!”

“It’s probably from the Sith’s lightning,” Leia shrugged. “My head hurt when I woke up but it’s gone now.”

Anakin froze, looking at Leia like she were crazy. “What did you just say?”

It struck Leia suddenly that what she’d just said had been stupid. Distant memories of pain that floated through her head were nothing more than just that: distant memories. The Leia who’d been born and raised as a Skywalker by her parent’s side had never even met a Sith— let alone be electrocuted by one. It was the Leia of the past, the Princess and separated twin, who’d lived that awful experience.

“Uh,” Leia shook her head, trying to brush it off so Dad didn’t suspect anything. “I was joking; don’t mind me.”

Dad frowned in the usual way he did when he knew something was up but one of his kids refused to divulge the information. “Leia Amidala Skywalker, what you said wasn’t a joke. Explain, now.”

Hearing her full name (a name she didn’t have in the distant memories of a darker life) felt so natural and familiar that Leia was almost taken aback by how normal it felt to hear. “Seriously Dad, I meant nothing by it.”

Anakin didn’t let up, instead he continued to frown at her before shifting his gaze to the equally confused-looking Luke. “Do you,” he paused. “Have memories of . . . a different life?” It felt so stupid to say but then time travel had seemed impossible and yet his kids had managed that before.

“More like distant memories,” Leia admitted in a quiet voice, looking to Luke for help.

“It feels like a dream,” Luke piped up, rubbing his head as if that would expel the confusion. “I remember everything with you and Mom and growing up here but then I also have some distant recollection of living a different life. A life where you were a Sith and Leia was taken from me.”

“And time travelling to the past,” Leia added. “Which sounds so bizarre to say.”

“Try living it,” Anakin whispered, his mouth wide open. “I can’t believe this. Did your memories of all that just come back now?”

Leia nodded. “As we woke up, yeah.”

“Wait till your mother hears about this—“ Anakin paused as the sound of his wife drifted through the apartment.

“Ani? Luke? Leia?” Padme’s voice got louder until she was standing in the doorway. Their Mom looked older than either twin distantly remembered, just like their Dad. The changes were subtle but it was obvious the youth she’d possessed 15 years ago was fading away.

An unimpressed look crossed Padme’s face when she spotted her children standing in her bedroom. “Do you know how worried I was when your father called me to say you two were sick and had left the Temple before he could pick you up? I was beside myself! Anything could’ve happened on your walk home!”

“We walk around Coruscant all the time!” Luke shot back, his noise wrinkling as his mother stepped forward to check his temperature the same way Anakin had. “Not to mention the fact that it’s daytime!”

“And you were sick enough to leave school,” Padme seemed satisfied that her son’s temperature was normal. “Which means you were too sick to be wandering the City alone. Don’t make a habit of it or I’ll be tempted to assign Threepio to follow you everywhere you go.”

“Do you wish for us to be driven insane?” Leia rolled her eyes. As much as she loved the droid, Threepio was by far the most annoying thing in the Galaxy. (Even more so than Luke).

“I’d rather insanity than death!” Padme countered, frowning when her husband suddenly scowled. The twins shuffled awkwardly, sharing a look of guilt that made their mother grow confused.

‘ _Luke_?’ Leia called out through their bond. Unlike how it had been in a different life, her bond with Luke was stronger; their lack of separation had caused their link to grow and develop in ways it had been severed before. Leia honestly felt as if her brain was directly linked to her brother’s. ‘ _How are we meant to explain this_?’

‘ _I don’t think we can explain what we don’t know ourselves,_ ’ Luke sighed. ‘ _But I guess we should just be honest?_ ’

“Why is everyone acting so secretive all the sudden?” Padme glanced around her family, slight frustration growing at the fact that she seemed to be left out on the loop. “Ani?”

“The twins remember Padme,” Anakin cleared his throat, moving to stand next to his wife as he looked at his children like he couldn’t figure them out.

“Remember?” Padme’s face scrunched up. “Remember what?”

“It’s like a dream,” Leia clarified. “All those memories of a different life feel like they belong to me but . . . they don’t, in a way. It’s like trying to grasp at smoke: I reach out to feel the memory but it slips right through my fingers.”

“It’s too distant to get a hold of but I remember flashes of that life all the same,” Luke nodded. “It’s like having conflicting memories.”

Padme’s eyes grew wide as she stared between her children. She had no idea what to say. How were you meant to react when your teenage children tell you that they distantly remember a darker life where she’d died, Anakin had become evil and they’d been separated. Everything had worked out fine in the life Padme was living now yet it pained her that the darker life of the past still had a hold on her babies.

“You remember your past lives?”

“I guess they’re more like alternative lives,” Leia shrugged, turning back to the Holo of her, Luke and their cousins at Christmas. The sound of her brother’s laughter echoed in her head as Pooja’s “ _thank you Santa!_ ” danced around her mind. She could smell her Aunt Sola’s cooking and taste the Nubian tea she’d consumed. The memory of that stood out far more than anything from her alternative life ever could.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Padme breathed, looking terrified. What if her children's memories of the happy life they’d lived all these years was erased? What if she wasn’t the Mom who’d been there for every nightmare, kissed every bump and scrape and read them bedtime stories? What if the children she’d been raising all these years were suddenly gone? Replaced by a version of her kids who didn’t know her.

“We remember a little,” Leia admitted.

“But we remember the life we’ve lived with you guys more,” Luke added. “The darker memories are at the back of our minds.”

“We haven’t forgotten you Mom,” Leia smiled, trying to ease Padme’s worried expression. “If anything, we appreciate you more.”

Padme visibly relaxed, nodding her head slowly. “Do you remember . . . you know-“

“Dying?” Leia laughed, brushing it off. “It was like falling asleep, honestly. Mom, don’t worry about us; we aren’t traumatised or anything.”

“Give us some credit; we are strong,” Luke added, shrugging his shoulders.

“We’re your parents, it’s our job to worry about you,” their Dad sighed, stepping forward to wrap them up in a hug. “Losing you both 15 years ago when Palpatine died had to be the hardest thing we ever had to get through. I honestly don’t think I could ever carry on if either of you died— for real this time.”

“We’re still here Dad,” Leia pressed her face into her father’s chest, the familiarity of his strong embrace making her feel safe. It seemed bizarre to Leia that in a different life, a life she could vaguely remember, she’d never had this. She’d never had a Dad who brought a smile to her face when down and would risk everything he had just for her.

(Sure, Bail had been amazing but she’d never considered him as her true Dad).

“Did I come at a bad time?” A voice sounded from the doorway, breaking the sweet moment. Obi-Wan stood there, almost perplexed at the sight. “I heard from Ahsoka that the twins weren’t feeling well so I’ve come with some gifts,” he lifted up a bag that, from the smell of it, held two containers of Dex’s famous soup. (It was Obi-Wan’s favourite restaurant and his love of the place and the owner had been passed down onto the twins).

“That’s so thoughtful Obi-Wan, you shouldn’t have!” Padme smiled in a knowing way, discreetly drying her eyes as she walked forward to take the bag. “I’ll go give this to Threepio to warm up.”

“Gramps!” Luke shot forward, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan’s torso and hugging him with pure love in his actions. “Hi!”

Obi-Wan chuckled, hugging the boy back. “Ah, I see what is going on here; you two have come down with an illness your father used to get all the time when he was your age: The Faking-It Virus. It’s very contagious and you’ll need lots of sleep and time off your studies— at least, that’s what your father believed.”

Dad rolled his eyes at his friend’s sarcasm, still holding Leia in his embrace as the girl sniggered. “Har, har, you aren’t a comedian Obi-Wan.”

“No? I was under the impression I could quit my day job as a Jedi to take up the comedic gig. Shame.”

“We just had bad headaches Gramps,” Leia spoke up, still snickering at the man’s sarcasm.

Obi-Wan clapped his hands, shaking his head teasingly. “Ah, I believe the cause of that must be one too many hours on the Holonet.”

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin’s serious tone made the man pause. “The twins remember. They remember their alternative life and they remember time travelling.”

“It was a weird experience!” Luke tried to lighten the tone of the room when Obi-Wan took a staggering step back like he was about to faint.

Leia rolled her eyes at her brother, “That’s an understatement.”

“How is this possible?” Obi-Wan’s voice was light. “How?”

“How is time travel possible?” Leia shrugged, moving away from her father to sit on the bed with an air of nonchalance only she could possess. “It’s all to do with the Force— I guess the Force just likes to make things interesting when it comes to us Skywalkers.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Dying,” Luke plopped down next to his sister. “Closed my eyes on Dooku’s ship and then the next thing I knew I was waking up here, on my parent’s bed.”

“Do you remember this life?”

“Of course Gramps,” Leia laughed. “I remember it all— the old life and this new one. I remember drinking Nubian tea with you in my alternative life as you told us sad stories about our dead parents and I remember soaking you with a water-soaker whilst my parents laughed on our holiday to Naboo in this life. The old memories are overshadowed by this life but they’re still there.”

“I must say,” Obi-Wan stroked his beard, a look of seriousness on his face. “I had hoped we could leave that darker life behind us. It isn’t one to dwell on.”

 _Tell me about it_ , Leia thought to herself. An echo of pain flashed over her as she thought about the idea of Luke being taken from her. Or her parents being dead. Everything she took for granted in this life was snatched from her in another.

“I don’t want to discuss it,” Leia decided, clearing her dark thoughts before they gripped her too hard. That life didn’t exist anymore. Her parents were alive, Obi-Wan seemed far happier and relaxed than she’d ever seen him and Luke was right by her side (just like he belonged).

“Don’t think that this new development will get you a free pass from your training. Nor any exams that are coming up,” Anakin tried to lighten the mood as the four of them moved into the living area where Padme was setting down the two containers of soup Obi-Wan had brought with him. The twins wasted no time in digging in, letting the warm soup roll down their throats with eagerness.

“Ani!” Padme chuckled, wrapping her arms around her husband as she watched her kids eat. Her love glowed as she watched Luke and Leia, finding it difficult to believe that in another life she would have never had this. “Leave them alone.”

Anakin chuckled, giving her a teasing smirk. “What? I was just saying!”

“I think Master Yoda will give us a free pass just this once,” Luke rolled his eyes. He was almost finished with his soup, ignoring the look his mother gave him that screamed ‘ _slow down_ ’.

Leia smiled into her soup, thinking about all the positive changes the Jedi Order had undertaken since their alternative selves had died 15 years ago. The Order was prospering; the darkness was gone and a New Order had risen in its place. Children were no longer snatched from their parents arms as infants and a boarding-school type situation had arisen.

If anything, their Dad had proven children didn’t have to be trained from birth to control their power in the Force. The New Order had decreed that from the ages of 9 upwards, children with powerful abilities in the Force would begin their training; their connection to their families weren’t severed and many Jedi kids lived at home with their parents. (Lots of families had since moved to Coruscant for that very reason).

The corruption of the Jedi Order seemed to be gone, replaced by a group of people not bound by their hypocrisy.

And to top it all off, Anakin Skywalker had been promoted to Master. It seemed that defeating the Sith and refusing the temptation of the Dark Side had proven his loyalty to the Jedi (even though Anakin argued it stemmed more from his love of his family). Leia nor Luke knew exactly what had gone down after their alternative lives’ selves had died but the changes were undeniably good.

“You’ll need all the training you can get considering you have your Padawan ceremony soon,” the twins honorary Gramps reminded them. He affectionately watched as Anakin’s kids inhaled their soup, thanking the Force that he didn’t have to hide his love for them like he used to be forced to with Anakin. With the changes to the Jedi Order’s attachment rule, Obi-Wan could finally voice and show his love for the Skywalkers without risk of consequence.

“Don’t remind us,” Leia groaned, internally counting down the 22 days she had left before the dreaded Padawan ceremony commenced. Being a Padawan wasn’t as big a deal as it had been in the past considering the Order changes and the fact she would still be living at home. All it meant was that her teaching would become one-on-one and more intense compared to how it currently was when they were getting taught basics with a massive group of kids her age.

“I still don’t know why you’re so against me becoming your Master,” Anakin spoke almost glumly. This argument had been continuing for weeks with both twins making their Dad promise he wouldn’t pick them when the day arose. “I would be a great Master— ask Ahsoka! And you’re my kids, who better to teach you than your old man?”

Leia rolled her eyes. “That’s why we don’t want you to pick us Dad!”

“We know you’re a great Master and Jedi but you’re our Dad: we want you to just be that!”

“Imagine if the kids called you Master, Ani!” Padme chuckled at the identical looks of disgust on both her husband and children’s faces.

“Ew!” Luke pretended to gag.

“And think about how much you argue,” Obi-Wan couldn’t help but add in with a smile. “Just last week you told me you thought the twins’ sole mission in life was to drive you crazy! Imagine having them being your Padawans; the trouble would just increase!”

Anakin’s face scrunched up, thinking about how many times a day he felt about ripping his hair out when he heard his kids bicker or purposely pick fights. As much as he loved them, they were monsters. Everyday when they parted ways at the Temple, he couldn’t help but feel relief that for a few hours they’d be someone else’s problem.

“On second thoughts, maybe not,” he concluded.

“I do believe that Ahsoka is deliberating the idea,” Obi-Wan smiled. (He knew for a fact that Ahsoka was planning to pick Leia whilst he, despite his age, was weighing up the idea of picking Luke. After all, he’d handled one Skywalker before— he was sure he could do it again.)

“Poor Ahsoka,” Padme teased, sending her kids a smile so they knew she was joking.

As Leia smiled back at her mother, all she could feel was happiness. The pain of another life was far too removed from her mind, the love from her family standing before her overshadowing it. All she knew was this strong family bond, being loved from all those around her and cared for by her family.

She reached her hand out to squeeze Luke’s, feeling him reciprocate her feelings through their bond. Life was perfect and Leia silently thanked Daughter for all she’d done. This second chance had prospered and given Leia a whole new life where pain and separation were just mere concepts to her.

Here, they were all complete.


End file.
